Wake Me Up
by neffititi
Summary: Valkubus. Set after 5x16. Ten years has passed since Tamsin's rise, but do evil really die? Rated M for a reason
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE NEWEST EPISODE AND DON'T WANT TO GET ANY SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THIS FIC**

 **A/N: I've got too much to rant so I decided to write instead.**

 **This story takes place right after the finale. I don't know how much time has passed between Tamsin's "rise" and the last scene in 5x16, so I decided to set it as 10 years, though it's probably shorter than that, since Valkyries grow really fast, but anyway, 10 years for the story.**

 **This story is going to be Valkubus for sure. The development is gonna be painfully slow. I'm not entirely sure how the story would go, since I only have enough ideas for the first few chapters right now. I guess we will see how it goes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lost Girl, and I don't profit from it. Had I owned it, I'd have chosen better writers for sure.**

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Chapter 1

Awakened by a loud sound, Bo jolted and almost fell off the couch. She groaned, sitting up. There she heard the sound again: loud knells coming from afar. They seemed to be the only sound in the still air.

"Dagny?" Bo called as she stood up. She picked up her dagger from the side table as she approached the stairs. "Dagny, are you there?"

No one answered her. The sound of the knell hammered her eardrums, beating the voice out from her head. It hammered her chest, beating the air out of her lungs. It hammered her heart repeatedly, until it created a black hole there, draining every bit of her strength.

She walked upstairs, but found no one there. Through the windows of her bedroom, she saw a lot of people outside, dressed in black. They formed a long, loose line, and marched forward slowly with their heads lowered.

They lifted their right arms and left legs at the exact same time, before they put them down simultaneously. Then, they lifted their left arms and right legs, and did the same thing. It looked like they were all controlled by a puppet master through a series of strings.

 _What the hell is going on?_ She asked herself and decided to go take a look.

The air was as thick as lead outside, and the sky was covered by grey clouds. Abandoned cars were everywhere, in the middle of the street, on the sidewalk, some even hanging on the edge of the overpass.

 _Am I in the damn Oz dream again?_ Bo wondered as she approached the crowd. She noticed the lifeless faces, like those people that had been consumed, drained, or emptied. They looked like they had just been dug out from their graves and dressed nicely for a purpose.

Bo stopped in front of a man, and blocked his way. He stopped, and so did everyone else. They all turned to looked at her in dead silence.

"Excuse...me, sir," Bo said hesitantly as she tried her best to put on a warm smile. "What's going on?"

The man answered her with a series of mumbles. It sounded like some bubbles had been forced out through his throat.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The man shook his head at her, which looked like someone had place both hands on his head, each on one side, and made him turn his neck. He stopped abruptly after a second or two, and stared back at her, his eyes looking like nothing but two dull metal balls.

The fact that there was absolutely nothing in those eyes, made Bo's hair stand on end. She swallowed hard, and stepped back, almost crashing into a woman behind her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the petite woman in a long, black dress.

The woman didn't say anything in return. She didn't even blink.

Bo was about to ask her the same question, but the knell interrupted her. Like some sort of order had been placed, everyone in the crowd tilted their head to their right and looked at the direction where the sound had come from

Then, they started to walk again. Bo had no choice but to follow them. She tried calling everyone she knew, but none of them picked up.

Soon, she arrived at a funeral home. At least it was one according to its signs.

The dread sound came from inside the funeral home, louder than anything. Then it stopped for a while, and the crowd stopped right in front of the door.

They turned and look at her numbly while a child among them stepped forward. She raised her head to look at Bo, and opened her pale lips.

Bo thought she'd tell her something, but the child didn't. Not anything that she could comprehend anyway. It was just some mumbles and murmurs bubbling through the girl's lips.

Slowly, the girl raised her left shoulder. Then, she lifted her arm, her forearm still hanging down as if her joint was broken. Little by little, she raised her forearm, her left hand, and eventually her index finger.

She pointed at the funeral home and opened her mouth again. Whatever she had said was drowned in the sound of the bell.

 _Okay, going in it is_. Bo told herself, rolling her eyes. She pulled her dagger out and walked in.

No one was in there. The doors to the rooms were either boarded, chained or sealed, except one.

The room behind it was empty, with a coffin in the front. The cover of the coffin has been removed and placed aside.

Bo took a deep breath and slowly approached it, holding her dagger tightly in her hand. She wondered what could be in the coffin. Zombies? Undead? A monster with an unpronounceable name? Or maybe even herself?

She carefully took a peek, and when she saw the person lying inside the coffin, she froze.

There was a tall, blonde woman there. She had her eyes closed, and her wings wrapping around her body. She looked as if she was fast asleep.

"Tamsin...?" Bo murmured. As the name escaped her mouth, the sound of it squeezed her heart softly. A bittersweetness exploded in her chest, and strangely, it calmed her down.

At this point, she was certain that this was a dream of some kind, because it was not possible to see Tamsin lying in a coffin, whether alive or not.

She had watched the Valkyrie rise right in front of her. She had witnessed her vanish. She had seen her turning into a sheen of light and disappear.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Bo hesitantly moved a stray hair lock away from the blonde's face. She was so afraid of touching her skin at first, because she feared that she'd touch something stone cold.

How could it be cold, though, when she could see Tamsin's chest heaving slightly, her eyelashes fluttering and her eyes moving under her eyelids?

"Tamsin..." Bo called her name again, not sure if she wanted to wake her up, or just to feel that name dance on the tip of her tongue.

She placed her hand on the Valkyrie's bare shoulder. The moment they made skin contact, Tamsin's eyes shot open.

Bo was startled and she fell back a step or two. When she stopped moving, she found the blonde sitting on the edge of the coffin looking at her.

"I've been waiting for you," Tamsin singgonged, joy dancing in her light eyes. Her voice sounded too sweet, too soft to be true.

 _Of course it can't be true_. Bo thought to herself. _You are dreaming_.

"We don't have much time," Tamsin said. This time, her voice suddenly turned monotonous. She stared into Bo's eyes, and continued talking. However, the sudden, loud knells drowned every single word she had said.

"What?" Bo asked, frowning. Somehow she had this feeling, that she had to pay attention to everything that Tamsin was saying right now.

The Valkyrie smiled at her. It was a fragile smile, but powerful enough to shatter Bo's heart. It was the same smile Tamsin had given her right before she had risen. It was the same smile she had given her when she had told Bo not to cry for her death.

The blonde had gotten off the coffin, and walked to Bo. Her wings expanded into the air, causing a stir in the room.

She stopped right in front of Bo, and cupped the brunette's face while looking into Bo's eyes.

Bo held her gaze. There were so many things in those light blue eyes. There were so many.

"Tamsin..." Bo murmured, swallowing hard to ease the sudden dryness in her throat.

The Valkyrie raised one corner of her lips to form a smirk. Then she pressed her index finger on Bo's lips to stop her from talking. She leaned in, and pressed her mouth on the brunette's ear. "The end is nigh, Bo. And I'm here to warn you."

"What?" Bo slurred, her heart clenching so hard that she couldn't breathe. She pulled back and examined the look on the blonde's face. "What are you talking about?"

Tamsin closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the color of them had changed into a bright blue.

"We shall rise together, for I've created you," the Valkyrie spoke loudly, her voice low. "Nothing, not even death, can stop us."

Every word Tamsin had said had been accompanied by a low knell. That familiar voice shrouded Bo's heart.

She knew that voice. She knew that voice too well. That darkness. That thirst. That irresistible urge of killing everything.

"No..." she murmured, falling back. And the Valkyrie followed her closely like a shadow, like her worst nightmare.

"You have nowhere to run," Tamsin told her with a grin that chilled Bo's spine.

Bo panicked when the feathers of Tamsin's wings suddenly turned into snakes. They swarmed to her, and she pushed the blonde away in reflex.

She pushed too hard, and staggered backwards uncontrollably. Suddenly an endless darkness surrounded her.

A strong pain came to her out of nowhere, shooting down along her limbs, exploding in her chest, and tore her apart. It squeezed her heart so harshly that for a moment she thought she'd die.

She opened her mouth and inhaled, forcing air into her lungs. She tried to grab something, but there was nothing there. It was just pure emptiness, void and darkness. There was nothing to see, to hear or to feel.

She used her last bit of strength to pry her eyes open before the darkness consumed her. Light poured into her eyes. All the meaningless, little sounds and noise started to buzz around her. The leaking pipe, the humming fridge, the buzzing light of the vending machine, cars honking afar, and the most obvious and the loudest: someone banging on the door.

"Just a minute!" Bo yelled as she got off the couch. The moment she leaned forward, she cried out in pain.

She pressed her right against where the pain was coming from: her left chest. She could feel her flesh burning and swelling under her palm. She pulled her kimono aside to see what was going on, and her blood ran cold when she saw a glowing handprint on her chest.

The excruciating pain was killing her, but her fear was the thing that stopped her from breathing. She pressed her trembling fingers on the mark. The moment she touched it, it glowed brighter, sending pulses of pain through her veins.

"Bo, Bo! Help! Help me, Bo!" Dagny's voice came. "Bo, are you there?"

Bo clenched her fists and swallowed her pain as she rushed to get the door. Dagny stumbled in, her left hand pressing on her right chest, a grimace of agony on her face.

Bo caught her before she fell and guided her to the couch. "What's wrong?"

Dagny gagged, shaking her head. Tears of pain welled up in her eyes. She fisted her shirt with her left hand and pressed hard against a certain spot.

"Let me," Bo told her, and moved her hand away. She tore Dagny's shirt open to examine her. She was horrified to see a handprint light up in a bright blue color.

Taking a deep breath, Bo placed her hand on the girl's arm. She sent some charms through, and eventually calmed Dagny down.

"What happened?" Bo asked her little sister softly. "How did this-when did this start to..."

"I don't know," the girl snuffled, shaking. "I was...I was at the store and it just...I tried to call you but you weren't picking up…."

Bo quickly checked her phone and saw several missed calls. "I'm so sorry, Dagny," she said, taking the girl into her arms. "I was just…."

She trailed off, pondering that "dream" she had just had. In the dream, Tamsin had told her that she came to warn her. Then, their handprints started to glow. _Was that really a dream, or was it someone trying to send a message?_

"Bo, what's happening to me?" Dagny's voice pulled Bo out from her train of thoughts.

Bo swallowed hard as she started at the handprint imprinted on the girl's chest. It had gone dimmer, but its color had surely turned from a pale white to a light blue. She could feel it pulsing with hers.

"Tell me, Bo. What's going on? What's wrong with me?" Dagny pleaded.

Bo placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, and looked into her light blue eyes. "Dagny," she said. "Remember that the first time you came here, when we were all at the Dal?"

"Yeah…?"

"Remember that when you showed the handprint to me, and I told you that it was coming for you?"

Dagny paused as she looked back at Bo. "What's...coming for me, Bo?"

"The Dark Lord, Hades. Our father. That's what's coming for you," Bo explained. She paused briefly and showed her little sister the handprint on her chest. "Actually, for both of us."

"But...but you said you killed him."

Bo licked her lips. "I did kill Jack," she replied, "but I guess I was right. Evil never dies. He must have clawed his way out from wherever he has been for all these years, and now he's coming for us."

Dagny stared at her, her eyes open wide in horror. She opened her lips, trying to say something, but the doorbell rang.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Oh, I swear to Gods, if this is another prayer circle invitation, I'm seriously gonna..." Bo growled as she opened the door. She stopped talking as she stared at the person standing outside the door.

"Kenzi…?" She murmured, gaping at the Russian girl's immaculate hair curls, nails and her shiny accessories hanging on her purse.

"Hola, bitches," Kenzi took off her sunglasses and clicked her tongue at both women. She tucked her sunglasses into her purse and opened her arms at them. "Get your asses over here and give Momma a hug."

Dagny threw herself into the petite woman's embrace, while Bo squeezed into the narrow space between one of Kenzi's arms and the blonde girl to hug her bestie.

"I thought you were in Spain," Dagny singsonged. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming? I could have picked you up at the airport, you know. I just got my Fae driver license!"

Kenzi didn't answer her question. She pulled back and smiled at the blonde girl. "Look at you, girl," she said, cupping her face. "I haven't seen you for two months, and you are like 5 inches taller already!"

Dagny gave her a casual shrug, though she couldn't hold her proud chuckles. "I'm 5'6" now," she announced as she held Kenzi's hand tightly.

Kenzi smiled again and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. Then she quickly ruffled her blonde locks and laughed. Dagny faked an angry face as she combed her hair with her fingers.

"Should I be worried about you casually dropping by, or should I go pop a bottle of champagne?" Bo teased.

"We may need some booze, just probably not champagne," Kenzi said, walking into the kitchen. "We need to talk."

"Okay, listening," Bo replied, watching her bestie searching for a clean glass in the cabinet. "Oh and...we are out of clean glasses."

Kenzi threw her hands into the air in defeat. "Really? I thought since you guys rebuilt the shack, you and you-" she pointed at Bo, the Dagny, "-would at least try to spend a lil' more time cleaning everyday to make it look better."

"We used all of them in our drinking games last night. You should see Dyson's face when they carried him out from here," Bo chuckled.

Kenzi mumbled something in Russian and eventually decided to use a teacup as her drinkware for her liquor. She poured herself some whiskey, and frowned at the cup. Then she rolled her eyes, shook her head and downed it.

Knowing that the other two women were staring at her intently, waiting to hear her story, she started, "I've been having this dream for the past few days."

"Dream like...being-chased-by-a-monster dream, or I-want-to-open-a-flower-shop dream?" Bo asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Kenzi glanced at her behind the tilted cup. "Being-chased-by-you dream," she slurred, downing her second one. She raised her cup again, but paused when she had finally noticed that Dagny's eyes were a little red and swollen. "You okay?" She asked, concerned.

Dagny tried to nod but was unable to lie to Kenzi. She quickly looked at Bo, and the Succubus gave her a comforting smile.

"Umm...what's going on?" Kenzi asked, frowning.

"Well, we have something to tell you too," Bo explained to Kenzi, "but since you've already started, let's just finish yours first. What do you mean by being chased by me?"

"Literally, being chased by you in my dreams," Kenzi murmured. "Ya know, dark fog, crazy eyes, evil voice, all that kinda shit. The exact same dream, three nights in a row."

"Well...it's just a dream, right?" Bo commented hesitantly. She wanted to give Kenzi a smile, but somehow couldn't because the things Kenzi had just said reminded her of her own dream.

Kenzi shrugged. She looked down at her cup-holding, quivering hand. "Maybe, but I just.." she trailed off, pondering, before she suddenly jolted her head and looked at the other two women again. "You know when some serious shitstorm is about to come, you sometimes get this chill? Like...whoever that is in charge of your fate is giving you a sneer behind your back? I'm hearing that sneer loud and clear right now."

She tilted her head back and drank her liquor. The sound of the liquid rolling her throat filled the quiet air. She put down her cup and murmured, "anyway, just thought I'd drop by and check on your two and...so what's up with you two? You said there was something that you wanted to tell me?"

Bo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Dagny's handprint glowed," she said. "Mine too."

"Ugh! I knew it! I knew something's not right!" Kenzi exclaimed after the initial shock. She dashed to Dagny and checked the hand-shaped mark on her chest. "It glowed? Why-I mean, does this mean that...he's back?"

"I don't know yet," Bo said, shaking her head, "but it certainly...means something."

"Ummm..." Dagny hummed hesitantly. "Can either one of you tell me what this is about?" She pointed at the handprint to Kenzi. "Like...I mean when this first appeared, you told me to come find Bo and the gang. You never said it would glow and it would hurt this much."

"I...I didn't know it would. I mean, I sorta did but thought I might be wrong, ya know," Kenzi stuttered, "cuz why would it glow?"

"So...what does it mean when it glows?" Dagny looked back and forth at the other two women. Then she fixed her eyes on Bo. "You said it has something to do with my father, Hades? I don't think you have told me anything about him yet, other than he's bad and you've killed them."

"I haven't," Bo said, "because I didn't think you were ready when you showed up a few days ago."

"Well, I'm ready now," Dagny argued. "I mean, it glowed."

Bo and Kenzi exchanged a quick look, before they guided the blonde girl to sit down on the couch.

"Daggs," Bo said softly as she held her little sister's hand in hers. "Your father, I mean, our father, Hades, is the King of the underworld. The handprint is like...his mark. He left them on us to mark us."

Dagny frowned, finding Bo's words ridiculous. She took another look at the handprint, which now had dimmed to a pale white color. "Why would he want to mark us?"

"So whenever he wants you for his evil agenda, he can easily find you," Kenzi explained, doing a snatch with her index finger and her thumb in the air.

"But...didn't Bo-" the girl turned to Bo, beyond confused. "Didn't you killed him already like ten years ago?"

"I did," Bo confirmed. "I mean, I thought I did. I watched him die, but...it just felt-I mean, there can only be one explanation for our glowy glows. That is, he's back and he's coming for us. I guess an evil like that never truly dies."

Dagny nodded, her eyebrows furrowed. She pondered for a while, before she pursed her lips at Bo. "So he's really evil? Like...really, really evil?"

"Yeah," Bo said, nodding. "In order to break me, he killed my grandfather, and my mother. He also-"

She stopped abruptly, clenching her lips as if she was forcing the rest of her sentence back.

Dagny, however, dived too deep into her own thoughts to demand Bo to finish. She hesitated for a long time, before she eventually gathered enough courage to ask, "was my mother evil too?"

"No, honey, of course not," Kenzi told her, stroking her hair. "Your mama is the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls in the entire world. Trust me on this, okay?"

Dagny nodded. "So if my mother wasn't evil at all, why did she...why did she have a baby with Hades?" She pursued.

Both Kenzi and Bo swallowed hard at the same time.

"You, or me?" Kenzi looked at Bo, her head tilting at the confused young girl.

"Let me," Bo replied. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before she started, "your mother...she didn't, I mean, she wasn't...she didn't know. It wasn't her intention to...have his baby."

"What do you mean?" Dagny frowned.

"At the time, she didn't know that it was Hades," Bo explained, finding it extremely hard for her to continue right now. She recalled the moment when Tamsin had found out about the truth. The Valkyrie's tears had shattered her heart into a million pieces.

"I...I don't understand," Dagny muttered. "How could she not know?"

Bo sigh, feeling heartbroken again. "Hades took my form as his disguise and she thought it was me," Bo said, squeezing Dagny's hands hard unconsciously till the blonde girl groaned. She quickly withdrew her hands and fisted them on her knees."She didn't know that it was Hades, and he got her pregnant."

A look of shock appeared on Dagny's face. After she had realized that Bo wasn't joking or lying at all, abhor and anger burnt in her eyes. She clenched her hands until her knuckles turned white. "He did what?" She gritted her teeth, forcing her words out one by one through her quivering lips.

Bo didn't say anything, because it was painful enough already for her to retell the whole thing. She couldn't bear the agony of repeating it.

"That was how she got pregnant? She was raped? She was raped by my birth father?" Dagny fired her words out, each soaked in fury and pain.

Bo closed her eyes and gave her a nod. All of them went quiet. The only sound they could hear was the sobs stuck in Dagny's throat.

The young girl eventually bit her tears back and asked, "how did she die? Did he kill her too?" Her last few words came out, coated in so much rage.

"She..." Bo stuttered, "you know that she was a Valkyrie, right?"

"Yeah, momma Kenzi told me," Dagny nodded. "She was a Valkyrie, who would fight battles and choose the slains to bring them to Valhalla."

"Valkyries...they die after childbirth," Bo eventually got those words out, feeling herself drained by doing so.

The blonde girl stared at her, with a crushed look on her face. "What?" She murmured with a broken voice. "She died because of me? She died because of giving birth to a rape child?"

"No, no, no, Dagnija, don't you say that. Don't you think like that," Kenzi stopped her. She kneeled on the floor and took the girl's hands in hers. "It wasn't your fault," she told her, looking up at her. "Please."

Dagny jolted her arms and jerked her hands away from Kenzi's. "Yes, it was! She died because of me! Why? Why would she do this? Why did she keep me? Why couldn't she just kill me when she had the chance?!"

"Please, Daggs," Bo pleaded. "Don't say that. You can't blame yourself like that. You did nothing wrong."

"It's easy for you to say," Dagny wiped her pouring tears with the back of her hand, trying to muffled her sobs by swallowing them but unable to do so because of the huge lump in her throat.

She wanted to say that Bo wouldn't understand her, but immediately remembered that they shared the same birth father, and that Bo's mother was killed by him.

Anger and agony twisted in her chest, squeezing her heart ruthlessly. They swirled inside her, screaming for an exit, but there's none, so they ravished inside her, tormenting her, tearing her apart.

She eventually let out a loud whimper and buried herself into Kenzi's embrace, turning into a sobbing mess.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay..." Kenzi soothed her. "We'll get him and we'll make him pay. I promise."

"But, she died!" Dagny argued, her voice gagged. "I'm gonna kill that son of bitch. I'm gonna kill him and bring him back and kill him again until the last bit of his pathetic soul dies and rot in hell."

Kenzi sighed and held her tighter. "Shhh…" she stroke the girl's hair. "it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay."

The girl sobbed for a long time. When she had finally stopped trembling, Kenzi asked softly, "hey didn't you just get your cool Fae license? Do you want to drive me to the grocery stores? We need some groceries cuz I'm gonna be here for a while, ya know."

It took Dagny forever to nod with some muffled slurs. Kenzi threw her head slightly at the door as she looked at Bo, and the Succubus tossed her the keys to her car.

Kenzi made sure that Dagny stopped crying before she leave. On their way out, she wiped her face clean and whispered something to the young girl, and finally got a few gagged giggles from the blonde.

They closed the door, and Bo sighed. Sprawling on the couch, she closed her eye in frustration.

 _How the hell am I gonna tell her that Hades got Tamsin pregnant because he wanted to create an evil child whom he could control? How the hell am I gonna tell her that the greatest evil runs in her blood too?_ She thought to herself, feeling every bit of energy getting sucked out from her.

* * *

She gritted her teeth when she felt herself being torn apart. The excruciating pain, and the fear of not knowing what was going on made her tremble hard.

She felt like her bones were being crushed and smashed piece by piece, her skin was being peeled and flayed off her inch by inch, and her flesh was being torn and ripped off ruthlessly.

The burn, the tear, the shooting pain, there were impossible for her to bear. She opened her mouth, wanting to wail, to cry and to scream, but couldn't get a single sound out.

She couldn't hear anything either, like all sounds had been absorbed by this emptiness where pain was the only thing that remained.

She had remembered the labor pain. She had remembered the feeling of the baby being pushed through her body, forcing her bones to separate and her muscles to stretch. She had thought that it would be the most painful thing she would ever experience. Now she knew she was wrong. Giving birth was nothing comparing to this. It was merely a mosquito sting, or a pinch from a pair of tweezers, something that shouldn't even be called as a pain.

She wondered why she hadn't blacked out yet, when she was being broken into pieces, cells, and eventually into atoms and particles that couldn't be broken down any further.

One minute she felt like she was being torched and burnt with the flames from hell. The next she felt like someone had filled her body with ice and frost and buried her under the bottom of an ancient glacier.

She felt so empty, like something or someone had ripped everything out of her, leaving nothing inside her skin. She felt helpless, hopeless and drained, like she was Sisyphus doing the endless shift of rolling a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down.

The torture continued for a long, long time, and she had already given up any hope she might have had. She thought this was it. This was the ultimate punishment she had been feared for in all her lifetimes. She thought she'd suffer till the last piece of her soul was completely destroyed.

However, after a certain point, she felt the pain fading away. At first she figure that it was her mind tricking her body to believe that she wasn't feeling any pain, but as the time went by, she became more and more certain that it was really fading away.

She felt something inside her. A pulse, a throb, a flutter, a slight squeeze.

It got stronger and stronger each time it throbbed. She started to hear it in her ears, and feel it on her fingertips.

She opened her lips and inhaled. Her lungs expanded desperately, trying to hold all the air that was forced in. She inhaled again, and again, until her throat had gone dry and sore.

She tried to raise her arm, failing repeatedly before she succeeded. She lifted it, and placed her hand on her chest. It took her a while to realize that it didn't really land on her chest, but on her lower abdomen.

As the numbness went away, she dragged her hand towards her chest, and put it right above her heart.

There she felt her own heartbeat, strong, steady, just like it had always been before.

She opened her eyes. Light poured in and stung her eyes. For a moment she had a very hard time deciding whether to turn away from it so she wouldn't become blind or embrace it because it was the best thing ever.

She jolted her body and clumsily got up. She looked down, and saw her bare chest, her own hands, and her legs. Her skin looked pale, but real, so very real.

She stood on her feet and stumbled around, looking for a mirror, or anything that would work as one. After knocking the lamp off the nightstand and tripping over a pair of jeans that had been carelessly tossed on the floor, she banged into the dresser. She groaned, and turned her torso, heading to the floor mirror standing right next to the dresser.

She stared at her own reflection in it, breathless, confused and thrilled. Hesitantly grabbing a few locks of her own hair, she pulled them while watching her reflection do the exact same thing.

She tapped her face afterwards. She tapped them rapidly until her cheeks became red. She tried to find anything abnormal from her reflection, but found none.

She heard something behind her, and she wanted to turn around, but her lax muscles wouldn't allow her.

The next thing she knew, was she got grabbed from behind, thrown down to the floor and pinned down violently. Someone had straddled her and pressed a blade against her neck.

She gasped and struggled, but immediately stopped when she saw the person's face. "Bo…?" She slurred, almost didn't recognize her own voice.

The brunette's eyes opened wide all of a sudden as she saw her face too.

For a moment, neither of them had moved, talked or even breathed. They stared at each other as if they had just been petrified by a Gorgon's gaze.

"What the..." Bo murmured as she examined the blonde woman underneath her. She stared at her pale skin, her rosy lips and her long, messy hair. She stared at those quivering lips, her tear-filled eyes and her heaving chest. She couldn't get another word out, nor could she turn her eyes away.

"Bo...is that...really you...?" The blonde breathed out, her voice so soft that it almost got drowned by the ambient noise coming from outside. She looked into Bo's brown eyes, and thought, _how is this even possible? I should be dead._

Bo replied with a scoff and thrust her blade forward, almost shoving it into the blonde's throat. "You may think you look exactly like her, but don't you dare to think for a second that you could fool me. You are not Tamsin. You can't be her, so I'm gonna give you one chance. Either you tell me who you are, or I peel that face off you inch by inch, till your true face shows."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this story so far. And yay, Tamsin's back! How she came back, would be explained in some future chapters. It's gonna be a big thing for this story, so have a little patience. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tamsin looked down at the sharp blade that was tightly pressed against her throat. Just this slight movement made Bo pushing the tip of it towards her skin harder like it was almost in her flesh.

"Actually..." Tamsin started, finding what she was about to say both funny and weird. "I am Tamsin, like... _the_ Tamsin."

"Right, and I am actually Kenzi, Queen of the World," Bo retorted.

"Oh, believe me, she'd love that job," Tamsin chuckled, "especially if she could ride Unicorns all day long."

Bo narrowed her eyes at the Valkyrie. "You know what," she said softly, "I'll admit that you look like her and you talk like her, but I know for sure that you are not Tamsin. You can't be. She rose. She turned into feathers right in front of me. I saw it with my own eyes. And that was her last life. There is absolutely no way that she could come back and be here."

Tamsin let out a deep breath. "Well, here I am," she said, tasting the subtle bitterness on her tongue.

"Really? Why don't you prove that you are her then?" Bo taunted.

Tamsin gave her an eyeroll. "Fine. You have a blue freckle on the back of your right knee," she teased as she eyed Bo's right knee, which was right above her stomach.

Bo frowned and bit her bottom lip. "That was a lucky guess," she argued, forcing her tone to be indifferent. However, when she thought maybe the woman in front of her was telling the truth, a rush of excitement squeezed her heart.

Tamsin sighed. "Well, how about this then?" She grabbed Bo's collar and looked into those brown eyes. Shadows appeared on her face, turning her fair skin into a cloud of darkness. Her eyes sank and became two black sockets.

Bo prepared to fight Tamsin's power. To her surprise, she didn't feel much at all, other than an intense feeling of wanting to doubt herself fleeting across her mind and quickly disappearing. Bo frowned at Tamsin and realized that her face had already turned back to normal. The shadows that had been covering her skin were gone too.

"I'm pretty sure the bitches from my high school could do better stink-eyes than you," Bo commented, finding it both funny and confusing. Had the person in front of her been impersonating Tamsin, she would either have done a much better job doubting her in order to convince her, or refused to use a power she didn't have. Why would she try and fail?

Tamsin growled and tried a few times, but it seemed that she couldn't control her power properly at the moment. Either it faded away too quickly, or it didn't work at all. "Shit. I don't think it's working…" she mumbled.

A moment of silence devoured both of them. Tamsin was trying to figure out why she couldn't use her power, with Bo staring at her with a concerned look that she failed to hide.

"Okay, if you are the real Tamsin, tell me something that only you and I know," the brunette requested. She didn't want to admit it, but somehow, she knew that this was the real Tamsin. A part of her just knew. Maybe from the sarcastic tone. Maybe from the sparkles that were dancing in those unyielding eyes. Maybe from the way her hair would curl, her nose would scrunch or her lips would purse. Every subtle details that she had noticed had already made her believe that this was Tamsin. She just needed something else to convince herself.

"Sure, like what? The pin to your saving account?" Tamsin murmured while managing to shrug without being hurt by Bo's blade. "I'm pretty sure it's 2758."

A look of shock appeared on Bo's face. "How the hell do you know?!"

"Well, I figured if you were willing to scratch it behind the corner of the vending machine in the kitchen, you wouldn't be afraid of me knowing it, right?"

Bo groaned in frustration. She bit her bottom lip while looking into Tamsin's light eyes. "One last question for you, Tamsin."

"Shoot," the blonde murmured, her heart softened at the way the brunette had called her name.

"That night after I told you about the box," Bo said.

"The box that Hades sent you?"

"Yeah, that box. After I told you about the box and where I was born, you told me a story about yourself," Bo said calmly. "What was that story that you told me?"

Tamsin huffed out a soft chuckle. "You mean how I had thought that Freyja had controlled me, but then I changed and I freed myself from her?"

Bo nodded, couldn't help but smiled. She withdrew her dagger and licked her lips. "So...you are really...Tamsin?"

"Yep, hundy-p," Tamsin said in a low voice, making herself sound like Dyson. Then they both laughed.

"I...I don't understand," Bo murmured. "I thought...I thought that was your last life. How could you- I mean, how did you come back?"

Tamsin sighed and raised herself on her elbows. She stared at Bo and threw her head to the side, telling the brunette to get off her. Then she got up and stretched her limbs.

Though still weak and uncoordinated, she managed to walk over to the closet and find herself a big, grey t-shirt, with Bo gaping at her the whole time.

"Good question," she murmured as she put the t-shirt on. Then she pulled out a pair of sweatpants. She had to sit down to put them on since she couldn't keep herself balanced on one leg. "I really have no idea. The last thing I remember is saying goodbye to you, and then I'm here again."

She was about to ask a lot of questions, but Bo suddenly gasped and said, "wait, I know what's all this about. I know what's happening."

"Care to share?"

"You-" Bo pointed at her, a look of revelation on her face, "-are not real." She looked around, and pointed at everything that was in the bedroom. "None of these are real. Yeah, that must be why I'm seeing you again, Tamsin. This must be a dream, like-"

"-Borothy's Oz adventure? I don't think so," Tamsin drawled. "You are not wearing gingham, and there's no golden brick road."

"Well, no, not that kinda dream, but you are here to send me a message or something, like..like the one I had before. All these...are just in my head," Bo said.

Tamsin smirked and slapped Bo. The brunette cried out in pain and looked at her angrily.

"Did that hurt?" Tamsin asked with a grin, her head tilted to the side.

Bo nodded.

"Then this ain't a dream," Tamsin told her. "I don't know how, and I don't-" She stopped abruptly as she narrowed her eyes at the dresser. "Has that shit always been there? I thought it was-" She turned and pointed at the other corner of the bedroom. She examined the dresser closely, before she added, "and I don't remember your dresser being this...new."

"We rebuilt the shack cuz I burnt down the old one," Bo explained. "Everything's new here, except the layout of the place."

Tamsin paused. "Rebuilt the shack? That must have taken months for you to-how long have I been gone?"

"Ten years," Bo answered her after a short pause. "It's been ten years since your... _rising_ , Tamsin."

The Valkyrie was too shocked to say anything for a long time. When she was finally ready to ask questions, the doorbell rang.

"Bo-bo, we are home!" Kenzi's voice came. "Get your ass down here and help! We got a lot of good shit!"

"A minute!" Bo yelled at the door. Then she turned to Tamsin and said, "it's Kenzi and Dagny-"

She stopped, when she realized that she hadn't mentioned Dagny to Tamsin yet. "Dagny...Dagny?" The blonde repeated that name, her voice shaking a little. She rushed to Bo unsteadily, feeling her heart racing like crazy. She grabbed Bo's hand and squeezed it. "Dagny…?"

"Yeah," Bo said, squeezing the Valkyrie's hands gently. "She's here too. She's so big now. I bet you wouldn't even recognize her. She's 5'6" tall, has long blonde hair, and blue eyes just like yours."

"What, is she a suspect or something?" Tamsin grunted at the way Bo had described her daughter. She inhaled hard and turned away from the brunette, trying to hold her tears in but on the very verge of failing.

She bit her bottom lip hard, letting out a series of short, gagged breath which sounded like nothing but quiet sobs. All of a sudden, everything felt so real to her. So real that she started to question if this was a dream, a sweet, sweet dream. Was this really happening? Was she really gonna meet her daughter after she had lost ten years of time?

Dagny. She remembered saying that name to Bo right before her rising. All she remembered was a warm, soft little thing wrapped up in that ugly blanket. She remembered her wrinkly skin, her long eyelashes, and her fingers that were too tiny to be real. She remembered feeling her heartbeat on her fingertips, so vulnerable yet so strong. She remembered that lazy yawn from her. She remembered every bump on her face, every dimples on the back of her hands, and every curls on her head. At that time, she had told herself to pay attention and remember every single detail of her daughter because it would have been her last and her only memory of her.

She had never thought she'd see Dagny again, and suddenly she was in Bo's bedroom, waiting for her to go through that door?

Tamsin took a deep breath, though not much air went through the huge lump that was in her throat.

She could hear Kenzi and Dagny talking outside the door. Their voices bubbled through, into her ears.

She heard Bo asking her if she wanted to go downstairs, and she answered her with a series of mumbles and murmurs.

Bo dragged her downstairs eventually, just in time to see Kenzi and Dagny entering the door.

Tamsin's heart exploded when she laid her eyes on the tall blonde girl who followed Kenzi like a puppy. Her head had suddenly been turned into a ball of wires that had been short circuited. The electricity ran through them, finding no exit, having nowhere to go. It just kept going and going, leaving a strong, meaningless buzz inside, deafening her, paralyzing her.

Kenzi was holding a bag of vegetables in her right arm. She raised her left index finger in the air, about to say something to Bo. When she saw Tamsin standing a few steps behind her bestie, she froze there, with her mouth wide open and her left arm raised like a funny statue.

Then, she withdrew her hand and started to tap her own face. "Wake up, Kenzi, wake up, wake up," she mumbled to herself. "Wake up, Kenzi, wake up."

"Kenz, stop hurting yourself," Bo said softly. "This isn't a dream."

Kenzi frowned at Bo, and slowly moved to Bo's side, her eyes staring at Tamsin the whole time. "Is it just me or there's..." she pulled the belt of Bo's kimobo as she pointed at Tamsin with her chin.

"Yeah, that's Tamsin," Bo said as she pulled Tamsin over to Kenzi. "She's very real."

Kenzi immediately poked the Valkyrie's face, and Tamsin hissed teasingly.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Dagny finally spoke, her voice shaking in shock.

"Nope, not a joke," Tamsin answered her, almost unable to look at Dagny in her eyes.

After a short silence, Kenzi bursting into tears and pulled Tamsin into her arms. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God...you are back! You are back! Ma Tamsin's back! I think I'm gonna go open a bottle of champagne like right now!"

"Yeah, you go ahead, Momz," Tamsin murmured, watching Kenzi storm into the kitchen.

"I don't...I mean, didn't you rise?" Dagny frowned as she stared at Tamsin cautiously. "I thought...they told me that there was no way you could come back from that. Weren't you gone forever?"

"That was what I thought until 5 minutes ago," Tamsin told her.

"You are back? Back from dead? Like for real?" Dagny fired her questions out.

"I sure hope she is, cuz I just popped the best bottle we have," Kenzi commented. She waved her fingers and Dagny and continued, "go give your mama a hug, girl. Let's just celebrate it first and ask all the _hows_ and _whys_ later, okay?"

Dagny hesitantly complied by putting her arms around Tamsin's waist. Tamsin cleared her throat and held the young girl tight. Though it was awkward as hell, to her Dagny was still the most real thing she had ever held in her arms.

* * *

They celebrated Tamsin's return with old movies and liquor. Kenzi babbled on about all the embarrassing and funny stuff Dagny had done through her childhood, with Dagny protesting beside her. Eventually the young girl stopped trying and started to gulp her drink, until she passed out on the floor with a bottle of vodka in her hand, her back against the floor and her legs stretching over the armrest of the couch.

Kenzi was laughing hard at something. Then her laughter turned into vague murmurs. She turned to Bo and said something which neither Tamsin nor Bo could understand, before she lolled on the couch. The empty bottle she was holding fell down to the floor and rolled away. She let out a few snorts and fell asleep.

Tamsin finished her bottle. She tried to pull Dagny's bottle out from the girl's hand, but the young blonde just wouldn't let go.

"Oh, great, of all people on earth, I thought I'd never have to share my drink with a rugrat," Tamsin grunted and went to the kitchen. She got the last pack of beer out and headed back to the couch.

Sinking into the pillows, she opened one bottle, and laid the rest on the coffee table. She took a sip, her eyes unconsciously falling on Dagny again.

"She's happy to see you too, you know," Bo told her with a soft voice. "She's just...going through things right now and…."

"Believe me, I'd have hated the reunion if it had been nothing but tears, kisses and hugs," Tamsin shrugged. She looked at the young girl again, before she turned to Bo and added, "thanks for taking care of her anyway."

"You really don't need to thank me," Bo smiled. "Kenzi did most of the butt wiping and bottle feeding stuff anyway. I remember all the panic calls I got at midnight. _Oh my God Bo, lil' Dagnija's pooping green shit! Is it a Valkyrie thing? Am I doing something wrong? Is she dying? Why wouldn't the pediatrician answer my call? What should I do? What should I do?!_ "

Both women laughed quietly. Bo put her empty bottle down, and mouthed the Valkyrie a "thank you" when Tamsin tossed her an unopened beer.

Tamsin raised her bottle and faked a serious tone, "the silver lining of death, my friend, is no diaper change in the middle of the night, nor hungry baby cries at 2, 3, and 4 in the morning."

Bo nodded, choking in her own chuckles. Then she crawled over to the TV to change the disc since the one that was playing had reached the very end of the movie.

"What do you want to watch?" She asked Tamsin as she held up two DVDs in her hand. "Zombies?" She raised her right hand. "Or vampires?" She raised her left.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and threw her empty arm out to point at the zombie movie.

"Now I really believe that you are Tamsin, hundy-p," Bo teased as she put the disc into the player.

She came back to the couch and sat down. She tilted her bottle and took a sip while putting her feet on the coffee table. "Wow..." she murmured. "I can't believe you've been gone for 10 years."

"Neither can I," Tamsin replied, trying to process all the information the other three women had been dropping on her for the past few hours. "So...Dyson is the new Trick now?"

"You could say that. He runs the bar. He...sort of leads the Light Fae now. He wouldn't call himself the Ash of course, and forbids everyone else to call him that, but...yeah, he's pretty much become the leader of the Light."

"Mark's a cop now?"

"Yep, like father like son," Bo commented. "His nose may not be as good, but he sure is an excellent climber."

Tamsin huffed out a lazy giggle as she downed the last bit of drink in her bottle. She carelessly tossed it at the trash can and shrugged when she had missed it. "What about you and the doc?" She asked. "None of you mentioned her."

Bo lowered her head and let out a light laugh, which sounded more like a sigh. "Yeah..." she started. "We ummm...got back together after you...rose. A couple of years after that, we got married."

"Oh," Tamsin nodded. Then she paused and frowned at Bo's empty left ring finger. "Where's the mrs?" She murmured, inhaling deeply when she noticed the sadness in Bo's eyes.

Bo took a gulp from her bottle and stared at the blood spatter on the screen for a while. "We divorced after four years of marriage, and she umm...she joined one of those Doctor without Border stuff and left town."

"Oh" was the only thing Tamsin could get out.

"She came back last year," Bo continued. "We started dating again. And now...we are on a break again. So...married, divorced, got back together, on a break. That's me and Lauren in the past ten years."

"Hey, you'll figure it out," Tamsin told her.

Bo didn't say anything. She just gave Tamsin a slight nod and went back drinking her liquor. After letting out a big belch, she asked the Valkyrie, "what about you? What happened to you after your rising?"

"Nothing," Tamsin replied. "Nothing at all. To me, the ten years doesn't exist at all. I said my last words to you. I closed my eyes. The next thing I know, I'm in your bedroom again."

"So...no Valkyrie heaven or anything?" Bo teased and nudged the blonde.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "No, I wish there was though. Maybe there would be endless liquor and hundreds of hotties for me or something."

Her words made Bo chuckle, and she chuckled too before adding, "looks like I'm gonna stick around for a bit more."

"You can stay as long as you want," Bo told her. She reached her bottle out and clinked it gently against Tamsin's. "To your return," she said, her voice so low like a whisper.

"To my return," Tamsin murmured and downed her drink. They both threw away their empty bottles, before the blonde opened the last two beer.

Tamsin handed the bottle to Bo. It was then she noticed the hesitation on the brunette's face. "What?"

"My handprint glowed today," Bo told her, surprised by how easy and relaxing it was to tell Tamsin about something that scared her so much.

"What?!" Tamsin exclaimed, causing Kenzi to let out a loud protest in Russian. "How? Why would it glow? Didn't you kill him?"

"I thought I did," Bo said as she tapped the bottom of her bottle against the surface of the coffee table, "but...I just always had this feeling, that somehow he still exists or something, like he just...went hiding..."

She licked her lips as she took a glance at Dagny. "There's something that...we didn't tell you this earlier cuz you just got back, but I guess it's best for you to know about it sooner than later."

"Just spit it out, will you?"

"Dagny...has his mark too, and it glowed today as well."

Tamsin cursed loudly in old Norse after the initial shock. She grabbed Dagny's collar and ripped her shirt open. After seeing the pale handprint herself, she growled in frustration. "How?!" She bit her words out. "He never laid a finger on her! How could she even have his mark?!"

"I don't know," Bo replied. "It just...appeared one day, and today it glowed."

Tamsin didn't say anything. She moved back to the couch and titled her bottle to pour the liquid into her mouth. Not only it didn't put out her flames of rage, it made them worse. She eventually slammed her foot into the coffee table and let out a series of curses. Then she lowered her head and squeezed her bottle hard as if she was trying to break it into pieces with her bare hand.

"Great," she hissed, her chest heaving hard and her teeth gritted. "Glowy handprints, and somehow I'm back from dead? I guess it's not hard to figure out _who_ brought me back, is it?"

"Tamsin, we don't know that yet," Bo said softly, though her heart sank after she considered the possibility of her father bringing Tamsin back. "Maybe...maybe you came back because...it wasn't your time to leave."

"Right, because ten years after had died, Death himself just woke up and like _hey that girl shouldn't be dead. Let's just send her back_ ," Tamsin threw her hands into the air in great frustration and rage.

"Tamsin," Bo held her hand and squeezed it gently. "We don't know if it's Hades yet. If he's really the one who brought you back to us, I'll personally thank him after I thrust something sharp into his chest."

Tamsin tried to say something but she couldn't. She unconsciously gripped Bo's warm fingers tighter and sighed.

"No matter how it happened, I'm really glad that you are back, Tamsin," Bo told her with all the sincerity in her heart.

"If it was him, he must have brought me back for a reason, Bo. I'm sure it's not gonna be something good," Tamsin murmured, feeling something heavy crashing into her heart, making it impossible for her to breathe.

"Hey, we'll talk about this tomorrow, okay? Tonight-" Bo raised her bottle, "-let's just drink to your return."

They clinked their bottles again, before they went back drinking quietly for a while. The movie had somehow stuck due to maybe a scratch on the disc, but neither bothered to fix it.

Looking at Kenzi, who was mumbling and grunting, and Dagny, who was fast asleep, Tamsin took a deep breath. "Glowing marks, me coming back from dead, dead daddy's coming...we are back at square one, are we?"

"Yeah, we are," Bo nodded. "Good news is we know more about him than we did before."

"And bad news is, he knows more about us too."

"Well, anyway, we should go talk to the guys tomorrow and figure out a plan," Bo suggested.

Tamsin nodded. "I'll go talk to Acacia. Maybe she can explain this...coming back from dead thing." she downed her last bit of drink and stood up. "I guess I'm gonna go take a shower and get some rest."

"Sure," Bo smiled at her and squeezed her hand again before letting go.

Tamsin took a few steps towards the stairs, but turned around before she went up. "Do I still have my room?"

"No," Bo chuckled. "Sorry, after we rebuilt the shack, we...we didn't really...I mean, we have a bunch of empty rooms. It's just that...they don't have a bed or anything in them."

"Oh, great, couch it is then," Tamsin sighed.

"If you want to share my bed tonight, I'm okay with that," Bo said.

"I think I can live with that," Tamsin murmured.

"I'll tell Dyson to find you some furniture tomorrow and...you can pick a room."

"Sure," Tamsin shrugged. She stood in the middle of the staircase, and looked at Bo. The brunette held her gaze while sipping her beer.

For a moment, neither of them had said anything. In their gaze, the time itself seemed to have stood still, like the God who was in charge of it had just closed his eyes and dozed off.

The past ten years seemed to have not existed all of a sudden. It was like nothing had really happened. Their farewell and those tears they had shed felt just like a nightmare, something unreal, something that never had taken place. The past somehow had found a way to connect itself to the present by cutting off and erasing the ten years between them, and now they had just finished a long, tiring day and they were about to go to bed.

"Alright, I'm gonna..." Tamsin patted the handrail and tilted her head at the second floor.

Bo nodded at her. "I mean it, Tamsin," she said before Tamsin went up. "I'm really glad that you are back."

Tamsin pulled her lips into a smile, while her eyes were stung by her welling tears. She wanted to come up with a witty comment or something, but when she saw those shimmering tears in Bo's eyes, she couldn't get anything but a soft sigh out. "I wish we had more liquor, though," she grunted, turning her face away.

Bo laughed. Intoxicated by the alcohol and all the heavy and light things in her heart, her voice danced in the air lazily like a careless whisper.

She sat there for hours, sipping her beer little by little while going through everything that had happened today.

It seemed that the old times had rushed back to her suddenly. The past had stormed through her door and crashed into her all together. She didn't even know she could handle this many shocking news at once until now.

Glowing handprints. Kenzi's back with her weird dreams. And then, Tamsin was back.

Once again, her life was filled with mysteries, darkness and hope. Strangely, even though she knew that a heavy storm was about to come and that her future was loomed in darkness, uncertainties, dangers and maybe more tears and heartbreaking moments, she found herself in peace again.

* * *

 **A/N: thanks for all the reviews! Love you guys!**

 **Just want to say a few words about the bonding between Tamsin and Dagny. It's gonna be very slow in this story, because I personally find it more reasonable this way. They both need time to get to know each other, and eventually to love each other, and they both have their own stuff to deal with too, so I'd imagine it will take them quite some time to actually form the bond between a mother and a child.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first thing Bo saw, when she walked downstairs the next morning, was Kenzi braiding Dagny's hair on the couch. The Russian girl seemed to have a very hard time keeping her eyes open while doing that, while Dagny had her head leaning against the pillows with sleepy hums.

The Succubus couldn't help but smiled at them. As she moved her eyes to the kitchen, she met Tamsin's light eyes.

The Valkyrie had her hair tied in a loose bun, a few locks lazily curling along the contour of her cheeks. After having greeted Bo with a smirk she went back flipping pancakes.

Bo sat down beside the dining table, pulling her kimono to cover her overly exposed cleavage before grabbing a plate for herself. Resting her chin on her left hand. she intently watched Tamsin cooking.

"I assume that those two-" the Valkyrie murmured without moving her eyes away from the pan, "-will probably skip breakfast today."

Bo took a look at Kenzi and Dagny, and chuckled when she saw that they both had collapsed into the couch again. "It appears so," she commented, before turning back.

Tamsin forked three pancakes into Bo's plate, and the brunette mouthed a "thank you" to her before grabbing the syrup bottle.

Bo poured some syrup on one side of her plate, and wrapped a pancake into a tight roll. After dipping one end of the roll into the thick, sweet liquid, she shoved it into her mouth, bit the syrup covered end off and let out a soft sigh. "I thought you'd forget how to make these delicious pancakes after ten years of absence," she slurred.

Tamsin snorted before she sat down with a plateful of pancakes for herself. She leaned back towards the fridge and opened it to get a butter stick. After opening one end of the wrap with the teeth of her fork, she smeared a thick layer of butter directly on her pancakes. "I would have added chocolate chips if you actually had-"

"Over there," Bo interrupted her as she pointed at a door down the hallway a few feet behind the fridge. "I think we have a few bags of chocolate chips in the pantry, unless Kenzi used all of them."

"Since when do we have a pantry..." Tamsin frowned. She immediately rolled her eyes and murmured, "right, new shack, with pantry, sure."

"Yeah, we have a pantry now," Bo said, before she stood up and got herself a cup of coffee. "So what's your plan for today?"

Tamsin drizzled some syrup on top of her pancakes and inhaled half of her plate. Then she paused, drank some coffee, before she answered, "I'm gonna go talk to Acacia first. See if she knows anything about this...coming back after rising shit. Then...I guess I'm gonna hit the store and get clothes and...pretty much everything. Also need to check out the lots to see if there's any deal on a used vehicle…."

"Are you meeting Acacia in Valhalla?" Bo asked as she got herself an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Tamsin nodded and beckoned at the apple in Bo's hand.

The brunette shook her head with a chuckle, and tossed the fruit to Tamsin, before getting another one for herself. "Do you want me to go with you?" She offered.

"You don't have to." Tamsin shrugged, taking a bite from the apple. "I mean...don't you need to bring home some bacon?"

"Not today," Bo replied, shaking her head. "With so many mysteries, I think my PI work can wait."

"Okay, then we'll take your car," Tamsin replied. She stopped chewing when she saw the weird smile on Bo's face. "What?" She murmured.

The brunette slightly tilted her head to the couch, making Tamsin eventually notice that Dagny somehow woke up during their conversation. The young girl was staring at them curiously with an anticipation burning in her eyes.

"Well, Dagny has heard of a lot of stories about Valhalla, but she has never been there," Bo explained to Tamsin, "so why don't we take her with us?"

"Sure," Tamsin replied as she looked down at her plate. "If she wants to come."

"I'll go change," Dagny immediately said and rushed upstairs in haste.

* * *

Bo tapped her hand on the steering wheel and snorted at the red light which seemed to have been on forever. She took a glance at the two other women sitting in the back seat through the rear view mirror while biting her chuckles back.

In the back seat, Dagny was looking at her cell phone once every thirty seconds despite having no incoming or outgoing activities of any kind. Tamsin, on the other hand, kept pulling her seat belt as if it annoyed her.

Bo cleared her throat loudly, and the Valkyrie sighed in defeat. She swallowed and hesitantly turned to Dagny and asked, "so...how's school going?"

"G-great," Dagny blurted with a sudden jolt of her head. She grippd her phone tightly and turned to Tamsin, nervously licking her lips. "It's going great, like...great."

"Do they teach...like...what do they teach in school these days?"

"A lot of stuff, like..." Dagny mumbled. After a long pause, she finally added, "...math."

"Math is great," Tamsin replied, giving herself a mental eyeroll. _Math is great? Really?_

Dagny could only manage a nod. She repeatedly twirled the string of charms that was attached to her phone around her index finger. She had finally decided to say something else, but before she did, her phone rang.

"It's Mama Kenzi!" She announced, feeling a little relieved though a part of her really wanted to continue the conversation with Tamsin.

"Oh, cool, you should probably get that," Tamsin said immediately.

Dagny nodded, before she answered the call. "Yeah we are on our way to Valhalla...no we are not there yet...I'm not sure, I'll text you later...okay...okay...no problemo. I'll make sure to get those...Love ya too...bye."

"She wants something?" Bo asked.

"Yeah, some scented candles and bubble bath."

"We'll stop by the store later. Your Mama Tamsin needs stuff too," Bo told her with a soft voice.

"Right." Dagny murmured. She played with her charms for a while, before she eventually gathered enough courage to ask Tamsin, "so...is Valhalla really like...a hotel?"

Tamsin raised her eyebrows. "Did Kenzi tell you that?"

The young girl nodded. "She said she stayed in a room and had all these amazing stuff sent to her."

"Well...it does look like one of those hotels that would charge you for 500$ per night, but...it's really a place for afterlife. There are elevators connecting it to other afterworlds. The reception desk will determine if a soul belongs to Valhalla. If they do, they'll stay there."

"What if they don't belong there?"

"Then they'll be sent to where they belong," Tamsin said.

"What else is there? I mean...what other afterworlds do we have?"

Tamsin pondered that question, trying to figure out the easiest way to explain without omitting any important details. "There are a lot of them," she started. "Some of them have multiple names, but...I guess you could consider any afterworld one of the three types. Those for the heroes, for the sinned, or for those who falls in between."

"Valhalla's type one, for the heroes," Dagny immediately said.

"That's right. Valhalla's for heroes," Tamsin nodded with a smile on her face.

"So...when I grow up I'd be bringing the souls of the chosen slains to Valhalla?"

"Yes," Tamsin blurted. Then she corrected herself, "well, if you are a Valkyrie, yes."

"That's like...a no-brainer, right?" Dagny pointed at herself. "I mean, obviously I will be a Valkyrie, right?"

"You are very likely to be a Valkyrie," Tamsin corrected her, "but having a Valkyrie birth mother doesn't guarantee you to be one. Have you...ummm...experienced your power yet?"

Dagny shook her head, a little upset. "No…."

"Tamsin," Bo interrupted their conversation. "Technically he's only 10 years old. It's probably gonna take a while."

Tamsin rolled her eyes at Bo's reflection in the rear view mirror while mumbling some curse in Old Norse, and the brunette laughed while taking a sharp turn into an alley.

Bo parked her car on the side of the road, and said, "here we are."

Dagny got out of the car excitedly, but was confused by the rundown alley she was in. She looked around, searching for the Gate of Valhalla, but she only saw rusty trash cans, graffiti covered walls and abandoned buildings.

"Is it just me or…?" She murmured, looking at Bo and Tamsin.

"Allow me," Tamsin said, standing in front of wall where some red patterns together with a few lines of Fae language were painted.

"I navnet til sjelene brakt frem til Valhalla, la portene apenbarer seg. Avslor! Avslor! Avslor!" She chanted in a loud voice with her eyes suddenly sinking into dark shadows.

"What's she saying?" Dagny whispered to Bo.

"Some...Valkyrie talk, I guess?" The Succubus replied in a whisper too.

When Tamsin's chant stopped, the wall faded away right after, revealing a huge metal gate. Behind the gate, there was a statue of a male Viking warrior sitting, and he was covered in snow and frost. He had a sword in his hand, as if he was guarding the place even after his death.

"Wow," Dagny exclaimed, feeling thrilled. "You gotta teach me how to do that one day," she said as she punched Tamsin's arm playfully. Then she cleared her throat immediately and looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Come on, kid," Tamsin told her before she entered the gate.

* * *

The main hall of Valhalla was full of people. Thousands of maids and servants buzzed around, while groups of souls either heading to the reception desk on the second floor or wandering about.

When Tamsin, Bo and Dagny arrived at the front desk, they saw Acacia standing there talking to a few people in maid suits.

The elder Fae spotted Bo first with the corner of her eyes. She huffed out a light laugh as she turned to Bo and said, "if this is not the famous unaligned Succubus, I-"

She stopped abruptly when she saw Tamsin. She stared at the blonde for a long time, before she eventually closed her mouth. She tried for a few times, but failed to come up with anything to say to any of them, so she let her jaw drop again.

"Acacia, it's me, Tamsin," Tamsin introduced herself to the elder Fae.

"Of course...you are?" Acacia murmured hesitantly, still gaping at the blonde.

"Yep, I sure am," Tamsin nodded.

"Didn't you...rise," Acacia said as she examined Tamsin closely. "Or did I get the wrong intel?"

"I wouldn't say your intel was wrong," Tamsin replied, "but maybe it's time to update it. I rose, but then I came back."

"You rose and you _came back_?" Acacia repeated, her eyebrows raised, as if that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard in her entire lifetime.

"It looks that way" was Tamsin's reply. She dodged to the side, just in time to let several souls go through. "That's why I'm here. Kinda want to know how this could possibly happen."

"I have some questions for you too," Bo said, "about my father."

"Sure," Acacia rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't be a typical day for me, if I don't get to entertain two goons, would it?"

Dagny couldn't help but chuckle, and the elder Fae's piercing glance fell on her immediately.

"Is this…?" Acacia asked as she looked back at Tamsin.

"Yeah, she's my daughter, Dagny," Tamsin introduced as she dragged Dagny over to her side. Once again, she found what she had just said beyond awkward, because she really had a hard time connecting the young girl in front of her to the tiny baby she had given birth to.

"Lucky you," Acacia commented, and none of them knew whether it was a sarcasm or something that was all sincere.

"So, can we talk?"

"Of course. Let's head to my office, shall we?" Acacia proposed as she turned around and raised her left forearm.

Out of nowhere, a fluttering image of an opened wooden door appeared behind her forearm, and she walked in.

"Come on," Tamsin told Dagny in a low voice, and pushed her into the door first.

* * *

After everyone entered her office, Acacia lazily waved her hand at the image of the main hall to make it disappear. She sat down behind a big desk, and offered the other three the hide covered slat stool across the room.

They all sat down, and Acacia grinned at Dagny, who uncomfortably squirmed on the stool.

"Is my stool too hard for your spoiled butt?" She teased, faking a low, serious voice.

"No, of course not, Ma'am," Dagny immediately answered and stopped moving. She pulled the hem of her clothes and straightened her body. Her reaction made Acacia laugh.

"So...let's see," the elder Fae started, looking at Tamsin. "You rose but then you come back. Tell me, how is it possible?"

"That's actually the question I want to ask you," Tamsin replied. "For all my lives, I've been told that if a Valkyrie dies in her last life, it's called _rising_ , because she'd rise into a place where she'll be offered a peaceful eternity, a place that's far, far away from this painful, miserable world. I was never..I've never heard of anything like a Valkyrie could come back after her rising."

"Because there is no such thing," Acacia told her. "Rising is the end of a Valkyrie's life. There's no coming back. In fact, I can't really believe that I'm actually sitting here talking to you, Tamsin. You shouldn't be back."

"Well, here I am," Tamsin threw her hands into the air. "How could it happen?"

"If you hadn't given birth in your last life, I would have argued that you didn't actually rise, but, oh well, I don't think I can really argue with that, can I? " the elder Fae pointed at Dagny.

"So...you haven't heard of anything like this, huh?" Bo asked.

Acacia shook her head. "Not in any of my many life times," she said firmly.

After pausing for a very long time, she stood up and walked to the whiteboard on the side. "Since we have a junior here, I don't suppose she has learned anything about the concept of-let's go through some basics of the afterworlds stuff, shall we?" She suggested as she picked up a marker and pulled off the cap.

She waited for a nod from the other three women, before she drew a big circle on the board. "Alright," she murmured and drew a small abstract of a tree inside the circle, with a rectangle as its trunk and a few strokes as its roots and branches. She drew several small circles on each end of the strokes, and one in the middle of the trunk.

She turned around, pointing at the circle in the middle of the rectangle. "This is the world of living. You may call it Earth, or Midgard. When a living person dies, they go to-" she pointed at the bottom row of circles, "here, or-" she pointed at the top row, "here."

"Underworld, or heaven," Tamsin explained to Dagny in a low voice, air quoting the word "heaven".

"Exactly," Acacia said. "If you are a hero, a good person, or a chosen one, you go up." She pointed at all the circles on the top. "Heaven, Elysium, Valhalla, whatever. If you are an average person, who has done some wrongs as well as a few good deeds, you go down, into the regular underworld. Hell, if you will."

After getting a nod from Dagny, she drew a few circles under the bottom row and continued, "if you are a sinner, a bad person, or someone to be punished, you go beneath the hell level. Niflhel, Tartarus, whichever you prefer to call it."

"Okay, I get it, different levels of hell," Bo said impatiently, "but what does this have anything to do with her coming back?"

Acacia clicked her tongue. "Well..." she hummed as she drew a contour inside the big circle to enclose the tree and all the small circles. "Souls can travel back and forth between these worlds. You may find it ridiculous if I tell you that a soul can come back from Hell to Earth, but it's entirely possible and in fact, happens more than you think."

Then, she filled the space between the big circle and the contour she had just drawn with a lot of short dashes, and continued, "but outside these worlds, we have this whole massive space, which is really another dimension."

"Okay..." Bo murmured, nodding.

"This dimension is very different from the others because...things in there are of a different form. When a soul travels there, it's transformed and the process of the transformation is irreversible, which means if you go there, you'll stay there and you never get to come back, for example, if you-"

"-rise," Tamsin interrupted her, and Acacia gave her a nod.

"So...what you are saying is...when a Valkyrie rises, her soul goes into another dimension and gets transformed into something different, but there's no way to transform this _something different_ back to her again?"

"Correct," Acacia said.

"But, for me...somehow I did get transformed back?" Tamsin murmured, frowning.

"Well, I don't really know what happened to you, but yeah, since you are sitting here asking me questions, I'd say somehow you came back from a dimension that shouldn't have allowed you to do so in the first place," Acacia concluded.

"How could something impossible like this have happened?" Tamsin pursued.

Acacia pursed her lips and started to pace back and forth along the wall. After a long time, she finally answered, "as we all know, matter can not be destroyed, and that includes a Valkyrie's soul too. When you rose, your soul was turned into another form of matter, or energy. It didn't perish. It was just changed, so technically, if-"

She paused when she noticed that Dagny seemed to be a little bored. "Ya okay there, kiddo?"

Dagny immediately nodded. Then she cleared her throat and said, "this is so sciency...I was just...I was wondering if I could maybe...check out Valhalla while you guys are-"

Bo chuckled, and Tamsin rolled her eyes. Acacia shook her head, but immediately let out a light laugh. She snapped her fingers to open the passageway to the main hall.

A moment later, a maid-look woman came in, waiting to take orders.

"Give the kid a tour, Gwen," Acacia commanded. "Just don't let her out of your sight, okay?"

"Yes, Mistress," the woman replied. Then she smiled at Dagny and took her back to the main hall.

"Alright, kid's gone. Where were we? Right, another form of energy," Acacia turned back to Bo and Tamsin. "I can't really explain how you came back, Tamsin, because to my knowledge, it's just not possible, but I suppose if there's someone, or something, who is capable of reversing the transformation process, you could be brought back."

"You think someone brought me back?" Tamsin asked. She huffed out a light laugh and fisted her hands in reflex, "that's...ridiculous. You don't happen to know who could do that, do you?"

"Do I look like I know? I imagine it's gotta be something powerful," Acacia said.

"Powerful like Hades?" Tamsin had finally gotten the question out of her chest.

Acacia froze at that name. "Why would you think that?"

Tamsin clenched her lips, and Bo admitted, "let's just say that...there are signs that...we think that he might be still alive and is now back."

To her surprise, Acacia didn't act like she was shocked. The elder Fae just frowned at her and pondered for a while.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't say that I'm surprised," she eventually murmured. "He's a tough, sly son of a bitch."

She turned Tamsin and added, "bringing you back, though, I'm not so sure. Why would he? He could have saved you, had he wanted to."

"Does he ever need a reason for his sick, pathetic plans?" Tamsin forced the words through her gritted teeth. Bo immediately took her hand in hers to calm her down.

"I think it's time for me to contact those two working undercover in Tartarus," Acacia announced. "If you would excuse me."

* * *

Dagny bounced back and forth between everything she saw in the main hall, with Gwen following her closely.

"Whoa, Miss, please don't touch that," the maid stopped her from holding a beautiful bouquet that was on a corner table in the hallway. "It can not be touched by the hand of a living, Miss. It'll perish if you do, and ordering new ones takes an awful long time."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Dagny apologized as she withdrew her hands immediately. She spun herself around in the hallway as she looked at all the paintings hanging on the walls. Then, she noticed a group of people checking in at the front desk. "Are they heroes? Do they belong here?"

"I suppose so. Not sure if they belong here, though, but if they do, we'll make sure that they have fun here," Gwen answered her a little absentmindedly since she was too busy making sure everything was in order.

"Do they stay in separate rooms, or all together in a big one?"

"That would depend on their preference and the availability of our rooms."

"What if Valhalla runs out of rooms? Where do they go then?"

"Valhalla would never run out of rooms, Miss," Gwen replied, finding Dagny's questions unbelievably stupid and boring.

"Do they-oh my Gods!" Dagny suddenly exclaimed when she spotted a woman in a samurai suit at the other side of the main hall. "Isn't that...Hangaku Gozen?!" She said excitedly as she eyed that woman.

"Miss Hangaku is an honored guest here," Gwen explained nonchalantly.

"Can I go talk to her? I'm such a big fan!" Dagny babbled as she dashed to the samurai.

"Miss, you can not-" Gwen tried to grab the young girl, but was interrupted by a receptionist who came to her with an urgent matter. She had to deal with that first, and when she turned back, she found that she had lost sight of Dagny.

* * *

Dagny exhausted all the Japanese she had learned from playing games and all sorts of weird body language trying to show her admiration to the heroine, but Hangaku just smiled at her politely and told her that she had learned to speak English during her stay in Valhalla.

Feeling both embarrassed and thrilled, Dagny could hardly speak. She stood there with her skin flushed and her muscles tight while grinning at the heroine sillily. The other woman kindly hugged her and gave her a kiss on her cheek, before she left.

"This place is amazing!" Dagny told herself as she wandered aimless along the flow of the crowd. She was too happy to notice that she had lost Gwen.

After a while, she had finally realized that she entered a whole new floor of Valhalla, so she decided to find her way back to the front desk first.

However, she underestimated the complexity of the place, and eventually found herself lost on a floor under maintainance.

The carpet that had been covering the hallway was now ripped off and rolled to the side. Fresh paint was all over the doors and the walls. Some of the guest rooms were made into temporary storage units and filled with old furniture and items.

After hitting another dead end, Dagny had finally decided to ask someone for directions, but she couldn't find anyone around the area.

She tried to read a map that was hanging on the wall, but stripes of paint had covered most of the drawings and she couldn't even tell where she was.

A sudden, loud phone ringing coming from behind spooked her. She turned around and found out that it was coming from a room all the way down the corridor she was in.

"Ummm...helloooo? There's a phone ringing," she called, hoping that someone would come over and picked it up, then send her back to the main hall, but nobody came.

She walked down the hallway and took a peek through the half opened door. The room was full of retired furniture. Among some stained glass shards on the floor, there was an old phone ringing with a light on it flashing blue.

"Hello? Someone's calling...I think," Dagny called again, but got no answer.

 _Or...maybe I could take it and then call the front desk?_ She thought and entered the room.

She pushed the glass pieces away with her foot, and bent over to pick up the phone. "Hey, sorry, I was just-"

A series of muffled sobs interrupted her. It sounded like a woman who was weeping in pain, and that made the young girl frown. "Hello?"

The woman on the phone paused for a while. Dagny could hear her breathing unevenly while holding in her sobs, like she feared that anyone would hear her and hurt her. "Can I...ummm, help you?"

The woman mumbled something, too incoherent for Dagny to understand. "Is everything okay, Ma'am?" She asked again.

"Help me," the woman finally breathed.

"Ummm...let me go get someone who can help, okay?" Dagny told her, about to run out, but the other woman stopped her.

"No, please don't," the woman whispered with muffled whimpers. "If he finds out, he'll…."

"He'll what?" Dagny frowned.

"Please," the woman begged. "You can't tell anyone about this."

"Okay, I won't, I promise," Dagny immediately replied. "Are you sure you don't-I mean, I can go get some help."

"No," the woman refused again. Then she paused a little, before she said,"please forget about this, okay? I can't let my daughter-he's here. I must go."

"Who? Who's here? Is everything okay?" Dagny asked, but the call seemed to have already ended.

She thought she'd dial back and find out what was going on, but she heard Gwen calling her name outside looking for her.

She shook her head and shoved the phone under a broken recliner, before she walked out the door.

"There she is," the maid said loudly with a relieved look on her face. Bo and Tamsin were behind her.

Tamsin banged the side of her fist into a "Do Not Enter" sign at the entrance of the hallway as she raised her eyebrows at the young girl. "Didn't you see this, hmmm?"

"I was just...looking for you guys," Dagny murmured.

"Well, you found us. Let's go," Tamsin told her. "We have a lot things to do."

"K," the young girl nodded. She took a glance at the room with the phone, before she followed Bo and Tamsin to the exit with her heart burdened a little by the call she had just picked up.

* * *

 **A/N: I copied the chant for opening the gate to Valhalla directly from the script. I think it means "in the name of the souls I bring forth to Valhalla, may the gate reveal itself", or at least something like that :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They stopped by the store first and got everything that Tamsin needed. Then, they drove back to the Dal.

Bo parked the car on the side, and turned to give Dagny a look which made Tamsin frown. The young girl nodded back and got off the car. She rushed into the bar, leaving Bo and Tamsin behind.

"What was that shit?" Tamsin asked as she narrowed her eyes at Bo's reflection in the rear view mirror.

Bo smiled and licked her lips as she got out of the car. "Well," she started. "I probably shouldn't tell you, but...they are having a welcome back party for you. A surprise party, so..."

"Oh, great," Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should tune down your bitchiness a little, and act like you are really surprised when you walk in there," Bo told her.

Tamsin faked a thrilled look, with her eyes wide open and her hands covering her chest, before she immediately turned that look into another eyeroll.

"Seriously, Tamsin," Bo said between chuckles. She stepped forward and playfully poked the blonde's chest with her index finger. "Everyone's happy that you are back. Acting a little surprised won't kill you."

"Fine," Tamsin drawled. She glanced at the door, before she murmured, "please tell me that there will be plenty of booze."

"Oh, of course there will be. It's the Dal. There's always plenty of booze," Bo replied and tilted her head at the door. "After you, Valkyrie."

* * *

When the confetti exploded on her face as she walked in, Tamsin put on her best surprised look. From the look on Kenzi's face she knew she had overdone it.

She cleared her throat and shrugged with an awkward smile. Fortunately, everyone was too busy cheering and clapping to say anything.

When Kenzi went to get the cake from behind the counter, there was a brief moment of silence, and Tamsin got the chance to take a look at everything in the Dal.

She noticed that the lights were brighter. The orange benches with liquor stains and scratches had been replaced with red ones, though the vases on the dining tables were still the old ones she had never liked.

She noticed the brand new granite countertop. It looked as if it was straight out from a kitchen commercial, but on top of it there was Trick's old rotary dial phone with an etch beside the number "6" on the dialer.

The lights above the vending machine had been fixed. None of them would buzz now. Half of the brands offered in the machine were something she had never seen before, but the partial shoe print she had left on the side of machine for kicking it when it had eaten her coins was still there.

One of the pool tables was also new, and her favorite cue stood in the corner. It was coated in a thin layer of dust, as if it had been waiting for her for all these years.

When she laid her eyes on those people she had once known and cared about but pretended that she didn't, she let out a bittersweet smile.

"Dyson," she called the Wolf who was standing right in front of her and gave him a hard punch on his shoulder. The man gave her a bear hug in return.

"Welcome back," he said to her. He voice sounded like a purr a pleased animals would make.

Tamsin couldn't help but noticing that he had cut his hair short but kept his beard thick. His arms were still as strong, but his voice had gone deeper.

Dyson stepped aside a few seconds later, and Lauren came up to greet her. Tamsin scratched her hair and gave her a nod. They shared an awkward but warm hug.

Ten years of time had left Lauren quite a few grey hair and some wrinkles the best anti-aging cream couldn't erase. And that finding once again made the past ten years sit heavy and real on Tamsin's chest.

She shook her head slightly and turned to bump her fist with Mark. The young Fae now wore a beard. The uncertainty in his eyes had been gone, though the passion still burnt in them along with the determination she had thought she'd never see in him. She then complimented his cop uniform, and he grinned while turning to his father.

Turning to Vex, who sat at a corner table, Tamsin greeted him by giving him a finger. The Mesmer snorted, turning his hands to use his power on everyone else in the room, making all of them giving her a finger.

Tamsin rolled her eyes, and everyone laughed. Kenzi had finally gotten the cake out from the fridge, and ran to hug her.

"Welcome back, Tam-tam," the petite woman whispered, getting teary again.

"No tears," Tamsin grunted. "And please tell me you weren't the one who baked the cake, Momz."

Kenzi shoved her away and punched her on her shoulder. "We haven't seen you in ten years. Ten years!" She exclaimed. "You really think I'm gonna ruin this big reunion with my cooking?"

Tamsin couldn't help but laughed, and everyone else laughed with her. She went to cut the cake, and the others started to get their drinks from Dyson.

The Wolf turned on the music. It was a song Tamsin had never heard before, but she bobbed her head with the rhythm nonetheless while putting cake pieces on the paper plates.

People started to dance, and Bo and Kenzi joined them. Soon the bar was filled with music, laughter and susurrus murmurs.

Tamsin pressed her back against the counter and rested her arms on the granite surface as she scanned the crowd. After a few seconds of stance, she found herself gazing at Bo.

Unlike everyone else, Bo seemed to have not aged at all. The past ten years had left marks on everyone but somehow had forgotten the brunette. She was left the same as last time Tamsin had seen her.

Though, something in her had changed. Something in those eyes had hidden deeper down. It was something that had once burnt brightly and fearlessly in those warm browns, but now it had reduced to a glow of shimmer. It was something Tamsin couldn't quite name, maybe a blend of passion, desires, sorrow and ache, a piece of Bo's restless soul that would seize every pair of eyes the moment they were laid on hers. It was something so subtle yet so breathtaking. Just like before it drew her in, in, in.

"Can I get you something to drink, partner?" Dyson asked, and Tamsin turned around.

"A bottle of your best shit, please," she drawled as she rested her chin on her left hand and her left elbow on the counter.

Dyson gave her a smile and took off a bottle from the top shelf. He handed it to her before getting himself a mug of beer. They both raised their liquor container slightly, before they each took a sip. Then Tamsin huffed out a light laugh and shook her head.

"What?" Dyson asked.

"Nothing," Tamsin replied. "Just...I guess I just keep expecting Trick to walk out from behind you or something."

Dyson nodded slightly and smiled. "I don't blame you," he commented, "a lot of people still do."

"It's just...seeing you behind the bar. Shit's so not real," Tamsin clicked her tongue and took a swig from her bottle. She paused as she looked at his bracelet. It was the one he had been wearing ever since they had met, only more tattered now. "It's great, though," she added in a murmur, not even sure what she was referring to.

Dyson nodded and looked at her intently. "So...what was it like to-you know, come back after ten years of absence?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Pretty damn great since I don't have any memories about last ten years," she said, grinning at him. Then she tilted her head at the phone she had just picked up from the store. "I don't know about this new iphone X though...it's just...how do I make all this shit on my screen go away?"

Dyson laughed, choking on his beer. He almost dropped his mug. While trying to hold it still, he spilled at least half of his drink over the counter. He had to get a towel to clean it.

He got himself more beer, before he asked, "how's-" he slightly raised his mug and pointed at Dagny and then back at Tamsin.

Tamsin took a glance at her daughter, who was playing a dart game with Mark beside the pool table. A small smile appeared on her face.

Turning back, she pulled one corner of her lips up into a big, fake grin. "We are doing fine."

"Ugh huh," Dyson replied as he raised his eyebrows at her. " _Fine_?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes at him, before she lowered her head and stared at the counter. She tried to say something snarky, but gave up quickly. "Want to know the truth?"

"Always," Dyson said, intrigued.

"Dagny-" Tamsin blurted, finding that name so unfamiliar that she almost bit her own tongue. "She's..." she muttered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as if she was trying to bite it off herself. She eventually let out a deep sigh and threw her empty hand into the air. "I don't know how to say it, Dyson."

"Is everything at least going okay between you two? I mean...you haven't seen each other for ten years afterall."

"Yeah, sure. Everything's going great," Tamsin knocked on the counter with the bottom of her bottle. "Yep, everything's going great."

"The truth, Tamsin?" Dyson reminded her.

Tamsin grunted something that the man couldn't quite understand. She raised the bottle to her lips, but instead of taking a sip, she said, "fine, you want the truth? Here's the truth," she turned to look at the young girl's beaming face again, before she continued, "she's a beautiful, magnificent creature, Dyson."

" _But_?"

"But..." Tamsin bit her lip. "She also scares the shit out of me."

"Oh? How so?"

Tamsin didn't answer him immediately. She forced a small puff of air through her lips to make a popping sound repeatedly, until that started to annoy herself.

"You okay?" Dyson asked.

Tamsin pursed her lips. "I just...I don't know how to deal with a child, especially not with the one I've lost for ten year. I spend half of the time trying to figure out what to say to her, and the other half wondering how any of this shit could be real."

She paused for a bit, staring at Dagny. "I mean," she continued, "all I remembered, was this tiny baby whom I thought I'd never see again, but suddenly she's right there? Like...how could she be real and what the hell am I supposed to do with her?" Her last few words were as soft as a defeat whisper.

"Well, maybe you could try hang out with her so you two can really get to know each other?" Dyson suggested. "That's how Mark and I-"

"Yeah, it's easy for you to say, Mr. Furryface," Tamsin grunted. "You two can just rip off your clothes and hunt rabbits or whatever together all day long."

Her words made Dyson laugh again. She rolled her eyes and continued, "what am I gonna do when I _hang out_ with her, huh? Braid her hair, pet her and feed her grapes or something?"

"Tamsin, she's not a monkey," Dyson told her. "She's a child, your child."

"Don't you think I know that?" Tamsin growled. She gulped her drink, as if that could drown and kill her frustration. "For all my lifetimes, I've been taught how to fight battles, how to kill people and how to survive on my own. No one has ever taught me how to be a damn mother."

She downed her last bit of drink, and huffed out a snort as she stared at her daughter intently. The young girl was too busy challenging Mark on the game to notice her gaze. Her laughter danced in the air, so softly and lively, full of energy, and somehow made Tamsin's heart clench.

"You know..." the Valkyrie continued as she turned back at Dyson, "like everyone keeps talking about this bond between a mother and her child? Like there's this special connection or something?"

"Mhm," Dyson nodded and opened another bottle for her.

"Well I don't feel it!" Tamsin had finally let it out. "I don't feel the urge of wanting to braid her hair or dress her or make her cookies or-"

"You don't have to want to do those things to have a connection," Dyson interrupted her. "Plus, for you and Dagny, there's a ten-year gap between you two, you know. It's probably gonna take a while for you to realize that the bond has always been there. I mean, you love her, don't you?"

"Of course I-" Tamsin blurted and stopped herself from saying the word "love" out loud. She looked away from Dyson and took a deep breath. "If you are asking me if I care about her, or if I'm willing to protect her with my life, the answer is yes. Yes I do care about her. If anyone hurts her, I'm gonna make them fucking pay. Hades wants her, he'd have to walk over my dead body."

"See?"

"But that shit is just...responsibility, something you have to do after that damn kid popped out from your vagina," Tamsin grunted. "That's not...love, is it?"

"Then what do you think it should be?"

Tamsin shrugged as she quietly sipped her drink. She soon figured out that she was unable to answer that question and let out a frustrated whine. "Shit," she mumbled, "maybe Valkyries die after giving birth for a damn good reason. Maybe cuz this shit is just too hard."

"No one says parenting is ever gonna be easy," Dyson commented, "but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just give it some time, okay?"

"Whatever," Tamsin shook her head with her eyebrows furrowed. She finished her bottle in gulps, and slammed it against the countertop. "Hit me," she demanded.

* * *

"Yes!" Mark exclaimed after his dart hit the bullseye. "I win, again!" He grinned at Dagny, and the young girl gave him an eyeroll.

Sitting down on the chair beside her with a look of defeat on her face, Dagny sighed, "I think I'm gonna take a break."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mark asked as he grabbed a chair and sat down beside her.

"Umm...nothing?" Dagny gave him a shrug.

"You look distracted, and worried," the shapeshifter pointed out. "Is everything okay?"

"Well," the girl started as she span a blue dart between her fingers. "Let's see. My handprint glowed, which...I don't think I fully understand what it could do or what it means yet. My dad, whom Bo supposedly had killed, is on his way. My mom's back, after I've been told that she had died ten years ago. What a family reunion!"

"Don't worry about Hades, okay? He wants you, he'll have to go through us first," Mark assured her.

"No, I'm not worried about him. Well I mean, I am worried, a little, but...he's the not the one that-" Dagny mumbled. She quickly took a look at Tamsin, before she turned to Mark, "can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure, anything you want."

"Was it hard for you to...ummm...like what was it like when you found out that your dad is-" she threw her hand at Dyson.

Mark pondered the question. "Shocked," he admitted honestly. "I mean, not as shocked as you probably, cuz I knew he was alive but just not with us. My mom had been telling me all kinds of stories about him, like how great a guy he was, how she didn't regret loving him at all."

"But what was it like when you...first see him?" Dagny pursued.

Mark huffed. "I don't know. I thought he was kind of a jerk, you know, and I just wanted to punch him in the face. I didn't really like him back then, but...it changed."

Dagny nodded and sighed. "Well, it's not that I don't like her," she started, clasping her fingers tightly. "I do like her. I mean, I've heard all kinds of amazing things about her, and I've seen her pictures and stuff, but in real person? She's just...more amazing than all of those combined."

"Then what's the problem, Daggs?"

Dagny raised to look at him, as if she wanted to figure out if she could really trust him. "Well..." she eventually murmured. "I just don't-it's like we are two strangers, you know. I feel like she's so, so far away and I don't know how to get close to her. She's...so real, but so not real at all."

"Hey, you are just in shock," Mark told her. "I mean, I would be too, if I were told that my father had died ten years ago but then bam, he came back, alright?"

Dagny gave him a quiet nod. She grabbed a pool ball from the table and tossed it into the air before catching it in her hand to toss it again. "I just don't feel that connection, you know. It's like it's not there. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, of course not," Mark replied immediately. "You just met her, alright? You can't just feel it right away. It takes time. I mean, look at me and my dad."

He raised his hand at Dyson, and the elder shifter raised his mug at him with a nod.

"I used to think that I'd never like him, you know, but now I think he's great," he told Dagny afterwards.

"Didn't you guys have a huge fight like yesterday, and you threatened him that you'd leave and never come back ever again?"

"Well that was him being a total jerk, okay?" Mark argued impatiently, and the girl giggled.

"Just don't rush it, okay?" He told her. "You can't rush it even if you try. Spend more time with her. Get to know her first. Just go with the flow."

"K," Dagny gave him a shrug, her voice completely lack of confidence.

"Alright, hand me that dart," Mark requested. "Let's game one more time. This time you focus, okay? Like think of the bullseye as your dad."

A burst of anger made Dagny threw her dart. Not only did it hit the bullseye, it hit it so hard that it knocked off the target.

"Now that's the spirit," Mark praised and patted her shoulder gently.

* * *

Tamsin's welcome back party lasted till after midnight. After the crowd left, Bo helped Dyson clean up the bar a little, and made sure those who were wasted got home safely. Then, she drove home with Tamsin, Kenzi and Dagny.

Tamsin helped her putting the drunken duo into their beds. Then they said goodnight to each other and each went back to their bedroom.

Bo took a bath. When she came out from her bathroom while drying her hair with a towel, she noticed that Tamsin's bedroom light was still on. She could hear the Valkyrie typing on her laptop.

Bo put on her kimono and went over to the blonde's room. She gave a gentle knock on the door before going in.

"I thought you were sleeping," she said as she leaned against the door with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

The Valkyrie scoffed. "Who needs sleep when she just found a set of new weapons and a nice, big weapon chest online?"

"Oh, so you are shopping?" Bo nodded and went over to the bedside to check out what Tamsin was ordering.

"Yep, gonna get these babies delivered tomorrow," the blonde singsonged as she let Bo take a glance at a set of boomerang and a few daggers that she had just purchased.

She closed the shopping window afterwards, and opened her chat app while searching on the web.

"What are you doing now?" Bo asked curiously.

"Well, I figure if Hades' back, there's gotta be signs and clues. I've worked with some of his mercenaries before. Those scumbags must have heard something. There's gotta be a lead or something."

Bo licked her lips as she watched the blonde quietly. She stared at those big black eye circles, the pile of empty bottles beside the bed, and those anger fueled light eyes.

She sighed and sat down beside Tamsin in her bed. Gently grabbing the Valkyrie's right wrist, she called softly, "Tamsin."

"What?" Tamsin hummed absentmindedly while checking on some online forums that were mainly about the end of the world and greek mythologies.

"Aren't you going to get some rest at all?" Bo asked.

"Rest?" Tamsin scoffed. "Who needs rest when Hades' coming, hmm?"

"I thought we agreed that we wait for Acacia's status report on Tartarus before we try anything," Bo reminded her.

"Well I am waiting, in case you haven't noticed," Tamsin gave her a smirk. "Am I not allowed to do a little research while I'm waiting?"

She moved backwards, and faced the laptop away from the brunette, but Bo came after her and closed her laptop forcefully.

Putting the computer away, Bo stopped Tamsin from getting it again. "I know it's bothering you, Tamsin," she said, "but wearing yourself out is not a good way to start the battle with him."

"Nothing's bothering me," Tamsin denied and turned her eyes away from Bo. She tried to withdraw her hand but the brunette wouldn't let go.

"Yeah, right," Bo drawled. "You think Hades was the one who brought you back. It's been bothering you ever since you came back."

Tamsin opened her lips, trying to deny, but she found it impossible under the brunette's gaze. She huffed and cleared her throat. "You don't understand, Bo," she murmured, staring at the ruffled black sheets she fisted in her empty hand while hating herself for having so much bitterness in her voice.

"I don't understand what? Tell me," Bo asked softly as she moved herself to sit on Tamsin's side again.

Tamsin paused for a long time, before she said in a heavy whisper, "if he's really the one who brought me back, my very existence is something we should all be afraid of."

"Like I would ever be afraid of you," Bo teased as she rubbed the Valkyrie's pale knuckles with her fingertips.

"Haven't you forgotten what he's capable of? Maybe bringing me back is a part of his sick, pathetic master plan. What if...he brought me back so he could take control over me, over Dagny-"

She stopped briefly and looked in Bo's eyes. "Or over you," she let those words slip out from her shivering lips. "Like when you came to his place to save me, he almost gained full control over you?"

"I won't let him do that again," Bo promised as she held Tamsin's gaze. She took the other woman's hand in hers again and squeezed it gently to stop the Valkyrie from quivering. She saw anger and fear swirled in those light eyes, and that vulnerability hidden behind made her heart ache. "I'm not gonna let him hurt anyone again, especially you."

Tamsin tried to smile, but she couldn't. She took a deep breath, and whispered, "how...do we even know that this is really me? What if he has done something to me? What if I am not me?"

Bo pulled her lips into a comforting smile. She took the Valkyrie into her arms and replied softly, "I know it's totally you, okay? You drink five bottle of vodka per meal. You make amazing pancakes. You drive like you were a fugitive with a bunch of cop cars chasing you. If you are not Tamsin, I don't know who you could possible be."

Tamsin couldn't help but chuckled. Her chuckles stuck in her throat and were reduced to a series of muffled bubbling sound. "I am serious, Bo," she drawled. "I have to-"

" _We_ have to figure it out," Bo corrected her, "and you need to stop letting it bother you day and night, okay?"

"Whatever," Tamsin replied. She felt her own breath vibrating against Bo's skin, and it was then she realized that she practically had her face buried in the brunette's shoulder. She tried to pull away, but the Succubus wouldn't let her.

"It's okay, Tamsin," Bo told her in a whisper. "I've got you."

Letting out a deep sigh, Tamsin hesitantly snuggled into Bo's embrace. She awkwardly folded her arms in front of her chest to prevent herself from touching Bo's bare skin. After having held her breath for too long, she finally sucked in some air that was too sweet to be true.

At least she could have this moment. She told herself. At least she was safe and sound, right here right now.

Bo's scent made her recall all those memories, sweet and bitter. Things that had made her heart pound hard, her breath short, or her eyes teary.

It had been so long, that she had almost forgotten that there was a time when nothing had been broken, crushed or destroyed, when she had still had hope, when she still had been looking forward to something nice to happen in her life, when she had thought she'd deserve something good, and when she had thought she'd actually have a future.

It all turned out to be an illusion, the best illusion she had ever had, before she got caught in the whirlwind which left her black and blue, before she fell and lost her wings, before every single piece of her life, her heart and her soul was shattered.

Pressing her cheek against Bo's neck, she inhaled again. Her lungs painfully expanded as she asked herself if this moment of peace was just another illusion, only sweeter and more deadly. She asked herself if any of this was real.

She gave up easily, not wanting to answer those questions. She allowed herself to fully embrace this moment, since she had no clue when she'd lose it all again.

* * *

 **A/N: finally a little Valkubus moment:) This chapter took me forever to write, and now it's finally done. Hope everyone likes the way I portray the relationship between Tamsin/Dagny and Valkubus in this story so far.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning, Bo walked into the kitchen. She murmured a soft "hey" to Kenzi, but the other woman said nothing back.

Bo stood there for a few seconds, waiting for Kenzi to move back from the kitchen counter a little, but the Russian woman didn't budge at all. She had to squeeze through the narrow space between Kenzi and the counter to get herself a cup of hot coffee. She felt the look from Kenzi sitting on her back like a lurking spider the entire time.

Bo grabbed a muffin on her way back to the dining room. She took a sip from her cup and gave Kenzi a warm smile.

Still, no morning greetings from the other woman, not even a subtle smile. The only thing Kenzi gave her were the stabs from her eyes.

"Ummm...is everything okay?" Bo asked.

Kenzi pursed her lips and pulled the corner of her mouth to the side as she stared into Bo's eyes. "You weren't sleeping in your own bed last night," she accused.

"Ummm, no, I was with Tamsin," Bo answered. She immediately tasted the awkwardness that was brought by the subtle ambiguity in her answer. "I mean, we shared her bed," she clarified.

"Just sharing her bed, huh?" Kenzi drawled as she stared at Bo.

"What else could we have done?" Bo shrugged and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. She peeled it and shoved one end into her mouth. "She was upset and angry. I tried to make her feel better-"

"-by succu-vagging her?" Kenzi interrupted her.

"Gods, Kenzi!" Bo slurred loudly as she punched her best friend on her shoulder. "No, I did not have sex with her! She was worried that it might be Hades who brought her back and that he might have a plan that involves her hurting someone else. She was frustrated, and I told her not to worry. I told her that we will figure it out. Then I guess we both just...fell asleep."

"Oooookay, _fell asleep_ ," Kenzi repeated the last two words with a click of her tongue.

"Hey, stop talking to me like my third grade math teacher, Kenz," Bo complained.

"What third grade math teacher?"

Bo rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. " _Oooookay,_ _your dog ate your homework_ ," she mimicked an old man's voice. " _Is that so_?"

Kenzi couldn't help but chuckled. "Alright," she said. "Is Tam-tam okay?"

"She's fine," Bo answered simply.

Kenzi nodded. After a short pause, she said, "I'm sorry, Bo. It's just that...I'm worried."

"It's okay, Kenz. She's just going through things. She'll be alright."

"No, I am not talking about her. Well, I am, but about something different," Kenzi blurted.

"Huh?"

Kenzi sighed and rolled her eyes. "I really don't want to see either of you heartbroken again, okay?"

"Heartbroken?" Bo slurred, feeling a heavy thump coming from her heart.

"She's been through a lot, Bo. She's gone for ten years after all the shitstorm that has happened to her, and now she's suddenly back, all that kinda stuff."

"I know what she has gone through. I was there, in case you've forgotten," Bo argued. There was a sudden spark of anger bursting in her chest, but she chose to ignore it.

"And you...you are single again," Kenzi continued, throwing her right hand at Bo's. "I know it must be hard for you too, Bo-bo. Both of you probably need some sort of comfort badly. I just...I just don't want Tam-tam to get the wrong idea again, you know?"

Bo clenched her lips. The last bit of muffin swelled in her mouth, becoming a lump of thick mush now. It took her forever to swallow it, and the aftertaste of the sweetener in the pastry stuck on her tongue, giving her a subtle bitterness.

"If you are worrying that I'm gonna sleep with her and break her heart again on purpose, Kenz. I don't know what to tell ya," she said coldly, shaking her head.

"No, I didn't mean that, Bo," Kenzi argued. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. It was never your intention to break her heart. It's just that...sometimes people just...they just…."

She stuck there, unable to find a proper word to finish her sentence. Throwing her hands into the air in defeat, she coughed out a sigh.

Bo balled her muffin wrap and tossed it into the trash can with her banana peel. "We are two grown ups, Kenz," she said with a bland tone, not looking at the other woman. "I think we can handle being there for each other without ripping each other's clothes off."

Afraid that she might have sounded too cold, she added, "besides, relationship drama and broken hearts are the last things we need right now. I need to figure out a way to deal with my dad first."

"Yep, that. What's the status on that?" Kenzi immediately asked, feeling a little relieved that they were now switching topic.

"Well, Acacia said that she'd let us talk to Stacey and Freyja first. Maybe they have heard something down in Tartarus. We are waiting for her to give us a call."

"K," Kenzi nodded. "Just keep me in the loop, okay?"

"Sure," Bo murmured. She was about to say something, but before she did, Tamsin came downstairs.

"Hey, go get changed," she told Bo as she tilted her head to the stairs. "Acacia wants to see us now."

"Just gimme five minutes."

"And get the kid. She's coming with us," Tamsin requested.

"Go get her yourself," Bo countered with a grin, before she went upstairs.

* * *

When the three of them entered Acacia's office, Stacey was already there. She gaped at Tamsin and Dagny for at least five seconds, before she approached them.

"Wow, she's so real," she commented as she pinched Dagny's cheek. Then she prodded the young girl's shoulder for a few times, fascinated.

Dagny frowned and slowly took a step back to her mother before Stacey got a chance to poke her stomach.

"Well that's because she's a real person, Stacey," Tamsin smirked. She stood between Stacey and Dagny, and frowned at the other woman's prodding finger. "Touch me, I'll show you how real I am."

"Gee, I didn't know you can a shit load of attitude from Valkyrie heaven for free," Stacey complained as she picked her nails.

"Where's Freyja?" Bo interrupted.

"Still in Tartarus," Acacia, who was sitting behind her desk, told her. "I figured that having both of them sneaking out might draw more attention than we need."

Bo nodded and sat down. "Shall we begin?" She urged.

Instead of answering her, Acacia turned to Dagny. "It is the Valkyrie High field trip day today, and there are a few classes having their tour in Valhalla out there. You wanna join them?"

"That would be great," Dagny said excitedly, figuring that either Tamsin or Bo would tell her about their conversation with Acacia and Stacey later anyway.

The elder Fae opened the passageway to the main hall for her. Then she told a receptionist to take Dagny to the tour guide.

After they had left, Acacia closed the passageway, and pressed her hands on the desk. "Alright, tell us what you've heard or seen in Tartarus, Stacey," she turned to the younger woman and gave her a nod.

Stacey nodded back and started, "well, it's a mess down there. There must be a zillion rotten souls there, and they have no way out."

"Don't we all know that?" Tamsin said impatiently. "Do you have new info on Hades or not?"

"I have rumors," Stacey replied as she rubbed the corner of her mouth with the tip of her middle finger, and Tamsin gave her an eye roll.

"What rumors?" Bo asked as she leaned forward.

"A lot of the souls are talking about joining Hades' new army," Stacey said. "Some of them were saying that he was back in his throne again, but...nobody has really seen him."

"What about his minions? Those who used to work for him? Have they?"

"None of them has seen him for real, but a lot of them claim that for sure he's back. I've heard some of them saying that a special bond between them and the Dark Lord allows them to feel his presence if he's near or something. Pure bullshit, if you ask me," Stacey shrugged.

"Have you checked out his place? Is anyone there?" Bo asked.

"No," Stacey shook her head and rubbed her arms as if she was suddenly feeling cold. "I tried to sneak into his place but that places just..."

"-scares the crap out of you?" Tamsin completed her sentence.

Stacey rolled her eyes, but didn't deny. "There were some souls wandering outside his place. I think once I saw a woman in a white gown. Must be a ghost or something."

"There's no ghost in Tartarus, Stacey," Tamsin corrected her. "Seriously, check the definition of _ghost_. They only exist on Earth. They haunt places they don't want to leave."

Stacey made a wry face and muttered some curses. "Ghost or not, doesn't matter. I didn't see Hades himself, or any proof of his return."

Bo and Tamsin quickly exchanged a look. Then the brunette said, "well, we all know that he's forming an army, if he hasn't already had one. And...I guess his return isn't that new info either."

"That's all I've heard," Stacey shrugged. "It's hard to get info from those rotten souls, you know. They smell!"

"Whatever, stacey," Tamsin grunted. She unconsciously squeezed Bo's hand, before she continued, "army or not, we deal with him one way."

"And what _way_ might that be?" Acacia had finally spoken.

Bo didn't say anything, but quickly moved her index finger across her own throat with a determined look on her face.

"It's not gonna be easy to do _that_ to an Ancient," Acacia commented. "They are more powerful than any Fae, and he's probably more powerful than most of them."

"But, they are not immortal. They can be killed. We've killed one once," Bo said.

"You mean Eros? Evony's old lover?" Tamsin asked her, and Bo gave her a nod.

"We killed him with Zeus' lightning that night," Bo explained to the other two women who didn't know about it. "If Zeus' lightning could kill him, it might be powerful enough to kill my father too."

"Yeah, and how exactly do you propose to acquire Zeus' lightning?" Acacia asked as she narrowed her eyes at Bo. "Zeus, along with other Ancients who were banished from the Earth, is in Myth, a place we could never enter."

"Oh I'm sure there's a way. There's always a way," Bo said. "Or, maybe we can try summoning them again. Light up a damn candle or something."

"And last time you did that, what exactly happened?" Acacia reminded her.

Bo inhaled in frustration. "Fine, if we can't kill him, at least we can figure out a way to banish him and lock him up for good this time," she proposed. "Our ancestors have done that before, banishing all the Ancients. Someone has also made that box and locked him inside. It can be done, and-"

"-we just need to figure out how," Tamsin said. "We need to do research on the Ancients. We need to know everything about them. Probably should go talk to Evony. She dated Eros before. She probably knows more about them than any of us."

"Sounds like a plan," Acacia said as she knocked the desk for a couple of times. "While you two goons go do that, I'll be keeping an eye on my undercover agents."

"And I'm gonna go have some fun tonight before I return to the shithole," Stacey said.

* * *

Dagny was thrilled at first to be in a tour with twenty young Valkyries and two elders as their teachers. Though, she quickly got bored since none of the tour guide's story interested her, and the teachers' bland voice made her feel very sleepy, so she left.

Soon she found herself in the section under maintenance again, and she remembered that phone call she had received the other day. Out of curiosity, she returned to that room. The phone was still hiding under the recliner.

She hesitated for a few seconds, before she picked up the phone and dialed back.

She didn't hear any ring tones like she would when making a normal phone call. It was just dead silence in her ear at first.

She thought she must have done something wrong, or maybe the phone in Valhalla wouldn't work like normal phones. When she was about to give up, though, she heard a slight click coming through, as if someone had suddenly picked it up.

She licked her lips, and called in a low voice, "hello?"

No one answered her, but she could heard someone breathing quietly.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Dagny asked in a whisper. "I'm sorry if I-I answered a phone call on this phone a couple of days ago and...I was just wondering-"

She could swear that she had heard a muffled sob, so she stopped and waited.

"You are back," the shaking female voice came. It was the same one she had talked to the other day.

"Umm...yeah I was just making sure that you-"

"You haven't told anyone about this, have you?" The woman asked her in haste.

"No, I haven't," Dagny answered immediately. "Ummm...but if you need help, Ma'am, maybe I should get someone for you."

"No," the woman stopped her immediately. "You must not tell anyone. His minions are everywhere. They are everywhere. The Valhalla, it's full of his dogs."

"Who is _he_?" Dagny asked, confused.

The woman went quiet for a long time. "It is the best if you don't know," she eventually told Dagny after the young girl demanded her to answer the question. "I don't want you to end up like-"

"Like what?" Dagny pursued. She looked through the door and made sure nobody was outside in the corridor, before she said, "listen, if you really need help, I have a sister that-"

"A sister. How lucky of you," the woman whispered, "but please, don't tell anyone about this. You never know who's working for him."

"Bo can't be working for him, okay? I'm sure of it," Dagny assured her.

The woman paused. "Did you just say...Bo?" She mumbled.

"Yeah. Bo's my sister. She helps people," Dagny explained.

"No, stop," the woman muttered, a hint of anger in her voice. "You are lying. Bo doesn't have a sister. This is a trap! You are one of them!"

"Huh? No, Bo didn't have a sister until about ten years ago," Dagny explained. The bitterness in the other woman's voice somehow pained her.

"Ten years ago?" The woman murmured, and then stopped talking for a long time. "Ten years ago...wait, I heard-I heard about this Valkyrie who…."

"Yeah, that's probably my mother," Dagny said.

The woman didn't say anything for a few seconds, as if she was pondering. "I don't believe you," she eventually replied. "It can't be true. You are trying to trick me. Of all the people in Valhalla, it just happened to be you who pick up my call?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Dagny raised her voice, feeling angry now. "I don't even know you, okay? I thought you needed help or something."

She wanted to hang up now, but she had always been taught to be considerate and to help those in need, so she took a deep breath and stayed on the line while telling herself that the other woman might be a little unstable or delusional due to whatever situation she was in.

"I'm sorry," the woman eventually apologized. "It's just hard for me to trust someone. His minions...the voices down here...it's just…I can't…."

"If you are so afraid that someone might be working for him in Valhalla, why did you call here in the first place?" Dagny asked curiously.

The woman let out a deep sigh. "Because I have no one else to call and I have nowhere to go," she said. "I...I figure that there must be someone with a good heart out there who would listen, some one like you."

"Okay, well, my name is Dagny," the young girl introduced herself. "I am not working for _him_ , no matter who this him is. If you want my help, at least tell me who you are and what you need."

The woman went quiet for a long time, before she eventually whispered, "my name is Persephone."

"Persephone as... _the_ Persephone? Wife of Hades'?"

"Prisoner of Hades'," the other woman corrected her. "He took me away from my mother, and tricked me into staying down here with him. He imprisoned me, forced me to be his wife."

"If that _him_ is Hades, I can assure you I am not working for him. In fact, I couldn't wait to rip his heart out with my bare hands," Dagny gritted her teeth when she remembered what Hades had done to everyone.

"You are not the only one who wants to kill him," Persephone told her, "and you won't be the last, trust me. He's more powerful than you think."

"Well we'll see about that," Dagny replied. "What is it that you need?"

"It's not me who needs help," Persephone said. "It's my daughter."

"You...have a daughter?" Dagny frowned.

"Yeah, I do. Just like Bo, she was born in Tartarus, along with her twin brother. I tried to send both of them away from this place, but I couldn't save both. I managed to send the boy to the Earth, but...Hades got her before I could do anything. She's bound to Tartarus, to him. She couldn't get out. He won't let her, but now...he's...he's away, I thought maybe I could free her before he comes back again."

"Then you'll definitely want to talk to Bo about this."

"I can't," the woman refused. "Bo can never know about this. Promise me you'll never tell her, or anyone."

"Why?"

"Bo and Hades...they have a...special bond," Persephone explained to Dagny. "Like...sometimes he sees things through her eyes."

"That's impossible! How could he be able to do that?"

"It's true," the other woman said. "Bo helped me summoning my family. Only she and I knew about it, but somehow Hades had known that before my family had arrived. He must have found out through Bo. The bond between them...it's very powerful. I can't risk that, please."

"Okay," Dagny nodded. "I won't tell her then. What about my mom?"

"Not her either," Persephone pleaded. "She worked for Hades for centuries. I...I'm sorry to say this, but I don't trust her at all."

"What? My mom used to work for him? That's ridiculous!" Dagny exclaimed.

"You don't know about that?" The woman seemed surprised. "He hired her to find Bo, and it was her who delivered Bo to him."

"No, she didn't," Dagny denied. "You...you are lying."

"Ask Bo, and you'll know I'm telling the truth," Persephone insisted. Before Dagny could say anything, she inhaled sharply and whispered, "he's near. I can feel it."

Dagny frowned at those words. They seemed delusional, but she couldn't be sure. Before she could say anything, the other woman told her in a hasty whisper, "I have to go now. If you really want to help, please come back and-"

The call ended abruptly, and the endless silence made Dagny's heart clench. She shook her head for a few times and shoved the phone back under the recliner with her foot, before she left the room with a heavy heart.

* * *

After dropping Dagny off at the shack, Bo and Tamsin went to find Evony in her mansion.

Dagny stayed home and helped Kenzi preparing dinner. She washed some vegetable and chopped them. Before putting them into a pan, she paused and turned to Kenzi. "Can I asked something, Mama Kenzi?"

"Sure, sweet pea," Kenzi hummed as she dumped several potatoes into the sink. "You can ask me anything. You know that, right?"

Dagny bit her bottom lip and nodded. She stayed quiet for a while, before she eventually raised the question, "did my mom work for Hades?"

Kenzi frowned at the young girl, but was too busy battling the potatoes to ask how Dagny had known that. "Yeah, he hired her to deliver Bo to him," she said, "but it's not like-Tamtam didn't know what she got herself into back then, okay?"

Dagny nodded. "So she wasn't one of his...minions?"

"No, not in that sense, no, honey," Kenzi told her. "Had she known what he was up to, what he was capable of, I'm sure she'd have said no to him."

"K," the young girl nodded again. She drizzled some cooking oil into the pan and put the chopped vegetables in. After having stirred for a while, she turned the heat down to simmer. "Have you ever...met Persephone?"

"Yeah, I have, why?"

"Ummm...just curious, you know. I was doing...some research on my...family and extended family and stuff."

Kenzi sighed. "Don't you worry about your father," she said as she pulled Dagny in for a hug. "He's not gonna hurt you, ever."

Dagny smiled and nodded at her. "What was she like? I mean Persephone."

"Pretty lady in a white gown. Long, dark hair. Pale, seems kinda lost," Kenzi described. She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to ponder, before she said, "do you remember that Greek Mythology story book I got you for your 8th birthday?"

"Yeah, I do. It's my favorite book."

"Do you remember there was this illustration of a Nymph on the cover? The one who...I think she was sitting in a tree or something?"

"Yeah, I remember her, why?"

"Persephone actually looks exactly like her," Kenzi told her.

"Oh, okay," Dagny shrugged. As the image of that white gown Nymph entered her mind, she remembered that on their way back, Tamsin and Bo had talked about some woman in white gown wandering outside Hades's place. _That must be her._ She thought to herself.

After watching the simmering vegetable for a while, she murmured, "what was my father like?"

"A charming son of bitch, well, I probably shouldn't say that in front of ya, but whatevs," Kenzi mumbled, waving her hand, throwing drops of water into the young girl's face. She wiped them off Dagny's skin with a piece of kitchen paper towel, and elaborated, "when you meet him, you probably think that he's the nicest, most trustworthy guy in the entire world. He's just so...good looking, full of charms, great sense of humor and he has this bad boy attitude, but trust me when I tell you this, Dagnija, should you ever meet him, no matter what he says to you, no matter what he does, do not trust him. You can not trust him, ever."

"I won't, Mama Kenz," the young girl promised. "With all the things he had done to Bo, to my mother, I wish I could just kill him right now." She finished her sentence by jabbing the cutting board with a small knife.

"Come here you," Kenzi called softly as she wiped her hands clean with a towel. She cupped the young girl's face and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. "Don't you worry about that bastard, okay? Whatever he's planning, he will fail. There's no way he'll get what he wants this time."

Dagny nodded at the petite woman with a smile. "I'm not really worried about him," she murmured. "It's just...why is everything in my life so complicated?"

"Cuz life is hard, but you'll learn to love it," Kenzi told her and patted her back. She pinched the young girl's cheek and told her, "go find me an onion, so we can finish cooking dinner before your Mama and Bo-bo come home."

"Okay," Dagny obliged happily, though a part of her mind was still burdened by the phone call from Persephone.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: so I guess I probably should explain my idea regarding Dagny's age in this fic. She's only been born for 10 years. She obviously grows a lot faster than normal kids, and she looks like she's in her late teens or early 20s. So, I think it's probably safe to say that she's a lot smarter than a 10 year-old, but not quite mature as a 20 year-old. Probably somewhere in between, maybe 13-15? I write her as a teenager, who sometimes can have some deep thoughts but other times she can make dumb decisions. As the story progresses, she'll grow, for sure, and I'm thinking about having her experiencing her Fae power for the first time very soon.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"I'm sorry, miss. Ms. Marquise isn't in the mood of seeing any guests today," Evony's butler told Bo politely as he stopped her from entering the mansion.

"I am no ordinary _guests_ , okay?" Bo countered as she stepped forward towards him. "I really need to talk to her."

"I'm so sorry, miss, I-"

The butler was interrupted by something that was tossed out from an open window on the second floor. That thing, a vase, hit the ground and shattered.

"Dude, either you scooch, or I make you," Tamsin told the man, her eyebrows raised.

The old man seemed to be shocked by her rudeness. He mumbled something, but was too afraid to say it out loud.

"Alright, I'm going in," Bo announced as she entered the house. Tamsin followed her closely. Both of them ignored the butler's grumbles behind them.

Balloons and ribbons in sky blue, gold and white welcomed them as they walked into the main hall. The drapes, the tassels and the tablecloth were in the same combination of colors. White peony bouquets were everywhere, decorated with spikes of a small, blue flower whose name Bo didn't know. Though, from the darkened edges of the petals, she figured that whatever event that had been held here was no longer in session.

She had barely reached the middle of the staircase, when she heard Evony's voice yelling something in the second floor.

A couple of maids rushed upstairs. One of them almost knocked Bo down.

"Get out! Get out of my house now!" Evony's voice came, full of rage and shaking. "If I see you, or your stupid medical bag ever again, I swear, Lauren…."

She stopped abruptly, and neither Bo nor Tamsin could figure out why, so they both ran upstairs and to the room where the voice had come from.

"Evony, please," Lauren's voice came through the half opened door, calm as usual yet with a hint of frustration. "I need you to cooperate, so I can run this test and figure out-"

"-how to _fix_ me?" Evony scoffed, cutting her off. "You think you can fix me like solving a complicated puzzle, so you can win some sort of stupid, pathetic prize?"

"Evony..." Lauren growled. "You don't have to be this difficult."

"You are damn right I don't have to be, Lauren," Evony spoke as if she was squeezing the words through her gritted teeth. "In case you have forgotten, it was you who made me this way!"

After that hiss, she paused briefly, like she needed a short rest before continuing. "None of this would have happened," she said, her voice full of despise now, "if it you hadn't turned me fucking human!"

She ended her speech with a few loud coughs. They were so loud and her breath were so short that at one point Bo seriously wondered if she'd just cough her lungs out and die like this.

After her coughs had stopped, Lauren tried again, "Evony, listen-"

Evony yelled something loudly to cut her off. It sounded like a word in Old Fae language and Bo had no idea what it meant. From the way Evony had said it, though, she figure that it must be a curse of something sort.

Right after that, there came the sound of liquid being spilled into something, and it was immediately followed by the sound of glass shattering.

Bo rushed in, and saw a broken wine glass on the dark cherry colored hardwood floor. Evony was sitting in her bed with sheets ruffled up to her chest. With her hair so frizzed, her face so pale and the iv in her arm, it was very hard for Bo to believe that she was once the Morrigan, the fierce woman who had lead the Dark Faes.

Lauren, who was standing a few steps away from the bed, now had her hair covered in red wine. Part of her lab coat was drenched in the red liquid too. She had her lips clenched and her hands fisted, looking defeated.

"Oh look who's here!" Evony beamed as she saw Bo and Tamsin standing at the doorway, though it was impossible to tell if she was truly happy or even more pissed. She beckoned to the two maids who were standing in the corner of the room, before she told Bo, "I'm gonna need a few minutes. Out, all of you."

As they all came out from the room, the door closed. Lauren started to organize her bag quietly with her head so low as if she was trying to bury it into her bag.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tamsin moved away from the other two women, pretending that she was suddenly interested in the peony bouquet down the hallway.

"Rough day, huh?" Bo eventually asked Lauren as she helped the doctor picking up a bag of alcohol wipes.

"Yeah," Lauren replied simply. She wanted to give Bo a smile, but all she could do was pulling her lips to one side wryly.

"How's Evony doing?"

"Not good," Lauren murmured. "One of her kidneys-" She stopped abruptly and shook her head. "Sorry, I shouldn't tell you about this."

"It's okay, Lauren. I'm worried about her too."

Lauren licked her lips awkwardly. "No, I meant, I shouldn't tell you as in...the whole doctor-patient confidentiality thing."

"Oh...oh, that's right. Yeah, of course," Bo nodded, feeling her voice so dry now. She looked around while trying to come up with a topic. After having come up with none, she prayed secretly that Evony would just open that damn door now and let them in.

"Bo," Lauren suddenly called her.

"Yeah?" Bo spun around and looked at the doctor, a smile on her face.

"I found a...box of your things in the basement while I was cleaning the house yesterday," Lauren explained.

"Oh." A little surprised, Bo could only nod at first. "I...ummm…" she clasped her fingers together and, her thumbs rubbing against each other. "I guess I could come by and get it later this week. Would Friday work for you?"

"Ummm..." Lauren hesitated, unconsciously scratching her hair now. "I don't think Friday would-I mean, the new owners are moving in tomorrow."

Bo paused. She bit her bottom lip as she stared at Lauren's face. "The new owners?" She murmured, and then remembered that Lauren must have sold the house that she and Lauren lived in while they had been married recently. "Right, it's, I mean, was your property anyway...so you are moving out?"

"Yeah," Lauren muttered. She sorted her bag again, even though everything was perfectly in place already, before she explained, "I have left the box at the nurse station at the clinic. I figured that way you could...come by and pick it up at any time, right?"

"Sure, of course. That would...work," Bo murmured, nodding.

They shared a tight smile, and Lauren went to talk to Evony's butler downstairs. Then, she left the mansion.

Bo let out that deep breath that she had been holding all the time as she pressed her back against the wall, feeling drained, empty and defeated.

* * *

Evony had finally invited them into her room again after a long wait. She was now sitting in her loveseat, all freshened up and relaxed. Two maids were kneeling on the floor right next to her doing her nails.

"I heard you are back, and I thought it was just a stupid rumor," she said to Tamsin as she eyed the Valkyrie. "You look fantastic."

Tamsin just returned her a shrug. "And you look...still alive."

Evony rolled her eyes and turned to Bo. "Visiting me for more information about how you were born?" She asked lazily.

"No, but I want more info about the Ancients. Anything you know about them," Bo requested.

"You think I know more about them than you do?" Evony countered, her eyebrows raised.

"Shouldn't you? I mean, you've dated one," Tamsin pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I have, but I assume the unaligned Succubitch isn't asking about sex tips or dating advice, is she?" The dark haired woman replied.

Bo snorted. "I'm more interested in things like how they were banished and what their weaknesses are."

Evony shrugged. "Well, as you have seen once, you can kill one with Zeus' lightning," she told Bo. "Other than that, I don't know much about their weaknesses. I never thought they'd have one. Those stone hearted, powerful bastards…."

"The banishing. How did that happen?" Bo pursued.

"It just...happened," Evony told them. "I wasn't interested in politics and all that back then. I was too heartbroken because that stupid, pompous asshole didn't choose me. All I know was, one day, they just disappeared, and a Siren claimed that he has successfully defeated them and sent them back to where they had come from."

"A Siren? Did he banish with the First Song?" Bo asked.

"Who knows. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't and the Ancients just left because they got bored," Evony told them.

"Who else would know things about the Ancients?" Tamsin asked. "Anyone else we can talk to?"

Instead of answering her question, Evony tilted her head and stared at her nail polishes. It took her forever to decide which one she'd like to put on, before she raised to look at Tamsin again. "There is someone you can talk to, if you want to have a little bedtime story session about the Ancients."

"Who?" Bo asked impatiently.

"In the Ash's library, well if Dyson and his followers haven't torn that place apart for their stupid no-dark-nor-light bullshit, you'll find a librarian in one of the secret chambers."

"Okay, a librarian in the Ash's library, gotcha," Bo nodded. Then she narrowed her eyes at Evony and murmured, "you are extremely helpful today."

"What can I say? Life's too short, Bo. What good would those secrets do for a dying person like me?" Evony replied softly, with a subtle bitterness in her tone.

* * *

Bo and Tamsin got home just in time for dinner. After that, Kenzi went to the Dal to have some fun. Dagny stayed up a little watching TV before she went to bed, leaving Bo and Tamsin downstairs.

Sprawling in the couch, Bo hit the buttons on the channel selector absentmindedly while Tamsin was looking for snacks in the kitchen.

Bo moved around on the couch constantly, yet every position seemed to be the least comfortable right now. She laughed at a cheap drama that was on TV for a few seconds, before she found herself staring at the box that she had fetched from Lauren's clinic earlier.

It was just a small cardboard box, one of those people would use during moving. It had her name written on the side. From the tattered edges and the stains near the bottom, she figured that it must be one of the boxes she had carried with her when she had moved into that house Lauren had just sold.

Looking through the things in it, though, she had a very hard time remembering where and when she had gotten them.

There was an old jewelry box with a bunch of cheap trinkets in it. Did Kenzi leave them to her, or did she collect them through the years? She had no idea.

On the side there were several CDs. She must have borrowed them from Dyson, or Mark, or Vex, or...maybe she bought them herself?

She did remember that wooden monkey figurine placed upside down in the corner of the box, though. She had bought it during their honeymoon trip. She had insisted on purchasing it even though Lauren had tried to persuade her not to since the seller had been asking for too much and the monkey wouldn't go well with anything in the house. Bo had thought she really liked it, but after they had gotten home, she had started to realize how poor the artwork was. The eyes of the monkey wouldn't even line up.

A stack of mails was at the very bottom, and she quickly went through them. They were nothing but junk mails sent to her. Credit card offers with surprisingly high APRs and annual fees, coupons from stores nearby, online shop catalogs for which she didn't remember she had signed up.

 _Whatever._ She thought as she let the mails fall back into the box.

Tamsin had finally dug out a bag of chips from the pantry. She returned to the couch with a pack of beer too.

Standing beside the couch, she tilted her head to the side and frowned at Bo. "Okay, either you stop looking at the box like there's a dead body in it, or I'm moving this party to the Dal."

Bo rolled her eyes and grabbed the beer pack. She got herself a bottle, opened it and sipped it quietly for a while, before she turned to Tamsin and murmured, "you know…."

She hesitated, feeling an unstoppable urge to pour her heart out right now yet not sure if Tamsin was the right person she should vent to.

"If you have something to say, just spit it out, Bo. No one's judging," Tamsin drawled as she threw a big piece of chip into her mouth. Crushing it with her teeth, she slurred, "well I might later, depends on how stupid your story is."

Bo rolled her eyes again and poured the bag of chips on the coffee table. Then she put a piece into her mouth and let it melt. After that cheap, thick cheese taste faded away from her tongue, she started, "it's just...you know how I'd always thought that once Lauren and I were together, it was gonna be forever? Like...unless one of us dies or falls in love with someone else, we'd just stay a couple?"

"Mhm," Tamsin nodded as she took a swig from her bottle. "What happened? Don't tell me you slept with Dyson again because you just couldn't resist him." She got a soft punch from Bo, and she giggled.

"No, but there were...a lot of reasons," Bo explained. "For example, the dishwasher."

"The dishwasher?" Tamsin frowned as she glanced at the dishwasher in the kitchen. "Is that a code name for some 8-pack hottie?"

Bo shook her head. "No, I mean the dishwasher dishwasher."

"Okay...what's wrong with the dishwasher? She wanted an energy efficient stainless steel one but you just wanted a big black one?"

"Actually, that too, but no, that's not what I was gonna say," Bo replied. "I meant, like what to put on top and what to put in the bottom, that kinda stuff."

"You mean in the dishwasher? Ummm...shouldn't you just dump all the dirty dishes in, turn that damn thing on and wait?"

"Well, that would work for me perfectly but not for Lauren," Bo said as she pursed her lips. "It's just...I tried to remember how she would like it to be done, but once in awhile I forgot and she'd give me this look and this talk, like…."

She didn't really finished her sentence, since she was busy putting chips in her mouth.

Tamsin let out a snort. "Wait, you guys broke up because of a stupid dishwasher?"

"Not just that," Bo replied as she raised her index finger in the air. "Same deal with how to put things in the fridge and…."

She stopped there, unable to come up with the third thing, although it could also be that there had been too many and she had lot track of them. All she had remembered was living in a house where she would constantly worry if something she had done would upset Lauren. It felt like she was slowly sinking into a bog, unable to breathe, unable to feel.

She finished her bottle, and grabbed another one. "And also I had to go to all those events with her, science events. They were great, I mean. The food was usually great. Lauren always looked great in her dress. She's the star in the room, you know."

" _But_?"

"But, they bored the shit outta me," Bo had finally let out, feeling so relieved that she had admitted something she couldn't before because she had been too afraid of saying it out loud. "I have absolutely no idea, no idea, of what they are talking about. I don't get any of their jokes. I don't find them funny at all!"

"I thought you considered geeky talks _hot_."

"They were, for a long time, but...I mean, seriously, once I listened to some old dude rambling for hours about this ganglion stuff. Hours! I couldn't leave, because Lauren was right there and she enjoyed the conversation like I would enjoy a great sex!"

Tamsin laughed, choking in beer, and Bo punched her, almost throwing her off the couch.

"What the hell is g-ganglion?" The Valkyrie asked, still laughing.

"Something something has something to do with the nerves?" Bo mumbled, frowning hard. Then she shook her head and continued, "I mean it, Tamsin. If you were there, you'd be punching him in the face after listening to that crap for like twenty minutes."

"Twenty? I don't even know if I can do five, unless there's enough booze," Tamsin commented, chuckling, "but hey...it's...I'm sure Lauren felt this same, like...she must have done shit with you that she didn't really feel thrilled about."

"Yeah, probably all the time," Bo murmured. She lowered her head, staring at the box again now. "I just..I never thought we'd have so little in common until we…."

She let out a silent sigh and sipped some beer. "You know what the worst thing was? The worst thing was I don't ever really know what actually broke up apart," she admitted honestly, finding the weight that had been sitting in her chest forever now was finally gone. This conversation between her and Tamsin, which she had thought might be awkward, went unbelievably smooth. It felt so natural and relaxed, just like the old times.

Just like the old times. She would talk and the Valkyrie would listen. There would be liquor, snacks and an occasional snarky comments or two. There would be laughs, giggles, playful punches and quiet moments, and it would just make her feel safe. It would make her feel that she was not alone anymore, and the most important of all, that she wasn't being judged or evaluated.

"Anyway," she started again, after watching a long, silly cereal commercial, "it was like all of a sudden, she was working late in the labs five days a week, and I was spending a lot of time at the Dal because I was so bored. Eventually, we had a huge fight over the fact that she was still trying to turn herself Fae. Then, she left. Later, she came back, and we started dating again, but…."

"Mhm?" Tamsin hummed as she picked up the last few pieces of chips and shoved them into her mouth.

"It was like walking in a field full of landmines. You tried to stay away from those suckers but soon found yourself in a situation where you had no place to go because they were everywhere," Bo said. "I tried to make her happy. She tried to do that same. At first it was okay. We were careful. I mean it felt really awkward, but it was okay, but then, she was invited as an honored speaker to some conference or whatever, and I...told her that I was meeting an important client that day."

"But, you weren't."

Bo shook her head in shame."I know I shouldn't have done that," she murmured, "It was all my fault. I was just...I really didn't want to hear another person saying shit like... _you're a PI? Cool!_ And after a very long, confusing conversation they'd finally figure out that by PI I meant private investigator instead of principal investigator,and I deal with with criminals instead of drug trials or government fundings."

Tamsin laughed again, and spilled her drink all over the coffee table. She tried to hold her chuckles while getting a towel. "I so could kill for a look of that person's face when you told them that," she commented in a slur.

Bo couldn't help but let out a few quiet giggles. "Anyway, that didn't go well. She found out that I lied to her later, and we broken up again."

"Hey, you'll figure it out," Tamsin told her as she nudged her shoulder. Bo huffed out a scoff at herself while shaking her head.

"You wanna watch Netflix or something?" Tamsin offered as she picked up the remote control. Before she had hit any buttons, the brunette took it away from her hand and stared into her eyes.

"Did you ever...hate me?" Bo blurted, finding her own words a little too blunt while knowing that there was no way to take them back now.

Tamsin paused and smacked her lips loudly. Then, she lowered the bottle in her hand and looked down as she rested her elbows on her thighs. After sucking her bottom lip for a long time, she answered, "no."

She quickly took a sip, swallowing her own heart back to her chest, and added, "well, maybe a little when I was staying at Motel 6. That place sucked. The toilet was filthy, the vending machine would eat coins, and the carpet smelled like feet. Certainly blamed you for all that shit. All your fault."

Bo chuckled and nodded. "Sure."

The Valkyrie took a deep breath and turned to look at Bo. She pulled her lips into a bitter smile and replied, "did I ever hate you? No, not really. I guess if I had hated anyone back then, it would have been myself. I was so desperate to the point where I was seeing things that weren't there. I was being dumb, and I hated to admit that, so…."

"Tamsin..." Bo murmured as the sudden pain seized her heart. She reached for the blonde's empty hand and held it firmly. She thought she should apologize now, for all the agony she had caused, for all the tears that had been shed for her and for all the scars she had left. That apology, It was long overdue. It had burdened her heart for ten years, but she knew it was the last thing that Tamsin needed right now.

She thought she should say something, but nothing seemed proper at this very moment. Nothing seemed to be able to express the crashing waves of emotions in her heart, or appropriate enough for the flames and storms in Tamsin's light eyes. There was nothing, nothing that she could come up with, that wasn't pale, shallow, or cheap.

Pulling her lips into a smirk, Tamsin squeezed Bo's hand. "How could I hate you, Bo?" She said. "You are so perfect."

It was meant to be a tease, a harmless joke to cheer the brunette up, something that could get their conversation going, but she made it sound too sincere. Her word, they were too thick of feelings. They slipped out from her lips too fast and she couldn't stop.

 _Well, at least this time she wasn't in a tub naked and you weren't drunk as hell._ She thought to herself as she downed her drink.

Handing the remote control to Bo, Tamsin pointed at the ceiling with her thumb. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now."

"Yeah, of course," Bo murmured, nodding. "Hey, remember to set your alarm clock. We need to go to the library tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"Already set," Tamsin replied and waved her fingers at Bo.

She glanced back at Bo before she headed upstairs, and the Succubus was looking right back at her. Both of them wanted to say something but neither did.

They just held the gaze for a second or two, with a million things sitting in their hearts and painful sparkles hiding in the bottom of their eyes.

* * *

The next day Bo and Tamsin went to the Ash's old library. They dropped Dagny off at Valhalla on their way since the young girl said she wanted to spend some time there.

Neither of them had suspected anything, and that made Dagny feel quite guilty. Though, she convinced herself that she was trying to help people, and that she had made a promise to Persephone not to tell anyone.

She headed straight to that room and dialed back. Just like last time, it took forever for Persephone to pick up.

"Hey, it's me," Dagny greeted in a nervous whisper.

"You are back," Persephone said with a happy voice. "You...umm...I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Well, you need help, don't you?" Dagny said simply. "What exactly do you need me to do to free your daughter from Tartarus?"

"There is a spell that can free people from hell," Persephone told her. "My mother used it once and forced Hades to release me from Tartarus for six months every year."

"Okay, a spell, and?"

"To complete the spell, I need one more ingredient," the other woman explained. "It only grows on Earth."

"Why can't you just go get it then?"

Persephone sighed. "You don't know how Tartarus works, do you? I was freed from here once, so in order to come back here again to save my daughter, I had to surrender myself. I am now bound to hell and I can not get out. I wish I had brought the ingredient with me before I came down here…."

"Oh," Dagny murmured. "So...you want me to get that ingredient for you, right?"

"Yes, it's called starlight berries. You can find it in any woods, forests or gardens that is considered sacred."

"Like…?"

"Like, for example, the Ash's garden. You just have to go in there in a starless, moonless night, and wait for the berries to shine. They looked like pale blue gems among the grass."

"Okay, I don't need to fight any guards or monsters or anything, right?" Dagny asked. "I mean, not that I'm afraid of it."

"No, there's no such thing. You can just pick a handful and bring them to me."

"Cool, I think I can do that," Dagny nodded. After a brief pause, she asked, "can we maybe meet in person before I do that? Not that I don't trust you. It's just…."

"I don't think it's a good idea. I don't want you to get into any trouble," Persephone replied. She went quiet for a while, before she said, "but if you really want to, you can come down and see me. We must keep it brief, though."

"Of course. How do I get down there?"

"Just take the elevator and come down to the bottom level," Persephone told her. "I'll be waiting for you."

Dagny snuck into the elevator and pressed the button to the bottom level before anyone noticed her.

As the elevator descended, her heart seemed to have jumped into her throat. She pressed her back against the wall as she watched different buttons on the control panel flashing.

The elevator stopped eventually, and the young girl unconsciously tucked herself into the corner and gripped her push dagger in her pocket firmly when the door quietly opened.

Outside the elevator, it was pure darkness. She swallowed hard as she took a few steps forward slowly.

"Hello…? Persephone…?" She called in a whisper as she looked around.

Someone appeared in front of her all of a sudden, and she almost screamed. When she realized that it was a woman in a white gown, she let out a deep breath and nodded.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person," the woman, who looked exactly like the figure in her story book, said to her with a smile. "Gods you are pretty."

"Ummm...thanks," Dagny smiled back. "So...Persephone, right?"

The other woman nodded and smiled again.

"And where's your daughter…?"

"In his throne room," Persephone told her as she pointed to her left.

Dagny could see nothing, though, so she stepped out from the elevator and closed her eyes for a while. When she opened them again, she found herself in a dark, empty hall. The place that Persephone had point at, was a gate down the long hallway. "Okay," she whispered to the woman in white gown. "I'll go get the berries for you."

"I can't thank you enough," the woman told her and smiled again. There was something in those dark eyes, that made Dagny frown a little. Maybe Persephone was looking at her too intently? Maybe there was this eagerness in those eyes that made her a little uncomfortable?

She shook her head and took a deep breath, before she asked, "mind if I ask how this spell works? I mean, it won't hurt anyone or cause any catastrophone, right?"

Persephone gave her a tight smile. "Well," she stuttered. "It does take certain sacrifice."

"Sacrifice like a goat, or an entire city?" Dagny pursued.

Persephone clenched her lips and turned away. Eventually, she swallowed painfully and said, "it would take my life. Only mine."

"What?!" Dagny was shocked. "You mean, in order to free her, you have to die?"

The other woman gave her a nod, with a look so determined yet so sad that it broke Dagny's heart.

"Well is there another way? I mean, there sure is, right?"

Persephone answered her by shaking her head. "This is the only way. I've made my decision."

"You say it like you've made a decision to order pizza for dinner, Persephone," Dagny argued. "You've made a decision to trade your life for your daughter's freedom. You are going to die."

"I would rather have her free than myself living in vain," Persephone explained. After a brief pause, she added, "didn't your mother do the same thing for you? Didn't she choose to die so you would live?"

Dagny closed her eyes and sighed, feeling her heart being torn into pieces now. "There must be another way," she begged.

"No, there is no other way, kid," the other woman told her, shaking her head. "This spell is my last chance. It will open a passageway between Tartarus and the Earth for her to travel through safely."

"Wait, that's what she needs? Something that allows her to travel to the Earth?" Dagny asked as something occurred to her.

"Yeah, the spell is my only hope."

"No, wait, no, it's not. If she needs something that allows her to travel to the Earth, I think I might know something. Have you ever heard of the Helskor shoes?"

"Yes, of course, everyone has heard the Helskor," Persephone told her, "but…there's only one pair left, and it's nowhere to be found."

"Except that I know exactly where that pair is," the young girl said in haste. "Bo has them, in the shack. I actually saw them the other day. They were in the attic, in a box."

"What? That's impossible," Persephone frowned.

"I'm sure of it. We were looking for the decoration for Yuletide night that day, and I saw them. They were really just...a pair of ugly, plain shoes, so I asked why anyone would keep those, and they told me that those are Helskor. If you wear them, you can travel between worlds."

"That's right. Helskor allows you to travel between worlds. Anywhere you want."

"Hey, if your daughter uses them to travel to the Earth, you don't have to die," Dagny suggested. "I can totally get them for you."

"Really? You would do that?" Persephone asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Of course," Dagny blurted. She quickly added, "but you have to promise me that once you are done with the shoes, you'll give them back to me. I need your blood oath for this."

"I give you my blood oath, that once I'm done with the shoes, I'll give them back to you," Persephone told her.

Dagny nodded. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

After getting a nod and a smile from the other woman, she headed back to the elevator and went up.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Persephone curled her lips into an evil smile.

"And I am looking forward to that, sweetheart," she whispered, her voice suddenly becoming low and masculine.

Slowly, "her" appearance changed into a man in suits. With a sly smile, he disappeared in the endless, edgeless darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: Just in case anyone is wondering how Hades could impersonate Persephone, according to Greek Mythology, Persephone is actually Hades' niece (she's the daughter of Zeus, Hades' brother, and Demeter, Hades' sister). Since Hades claimed that he could impersonate those whom he shared blood with, he could pretend to be Persephone. Why is he doing this? And what kind of trap would Dagny walk into? Answers will be in next few chapters.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning, Tamsin and Bo dropped Dagny off at Valhalla first. Neither of them had noticed that the young girl had the pair of Helskor hidden under her t-shirt.

After watching Dagny going through the gate to Valhalla, they headed to Ash's compound.

The main building cluster had been turned into a museum of Fae history. Its garden became a botanical garden, where the majority was open to the public but with a small, access restricted section for endangered species protection.

Tamsin rolled her eyes at a large group of kids who seemed to have come here on a field trip, and that made Bo chuckle.

"I'm guessing that the library is now open to the public too, isn't it? Free access for all and shit," Tamsin murmured as she narrowed her eyes at the three-story victorian building to their right. The sign that had been standing on the front lawn, a sign indicating that it had belonged to the Ash, was gone. The group of guards who had patrolled the place was also nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah," Bo nodded. "It's a city library now."

Tamsin snorted. "What about all those dirty little secrets that they've been keep for all these years in there?"

"They are still in there. Authorized access only," Bo explained. She took out two vintage keys from her pocket and showed Tamsin the larger one first. "This grants us access to the third floor, which is closed to the public," she said, before she showed the Valkyrie the smaller key. "And this one, leads us to that secret chamber that Evony mentioned."

"Okay, let's go then," Tamsin said simply and headed to the building.

There were three elevators in the library, two of which would only stop at the basement, the first and the second floor, while the third one would allow the access to the third floor but it required a key to activate.

Bo turned its power on by using the larger key that she had. A loud, rusty noise came from the shaft, as if something that was jammed there tried to squeeze its way through. A few minutes later, the carriage finally came down and opened its door for them.

They went in, and the elevator wobbled its way up slowly. In the middle it almost came to a full stop with a sudden jolt, and Tamsin immediately pulled Bo closer to her.

Fortunately, the elevator kept moving without doing anything weird again. It had finally stopped at the third floor with a loud bell ringing sound. The door slid to the side, letting them out.

In front of them, there was a small hall lit by four old fashioned braziers in the corners.

"Braziers, really?" Bo murmured as she checked out the one that was close to them. She was surprised to notice that the roaring flames didn't even feel hot despite the fact that it was right next to her.

"Mermaid's oil," Tamsin said after she took a glance. "A few drops of it could burn like this for decades. Far more reliable than...light bulbs."

"Yeah, but it's Mermaid juice..." Bo hummed as she looked around. She saw four doors, two to her left and two to her right.

The first door to her left was made of wood and painted brown. It had beautiful byzantine style carvings all over. The rusty bolts and latches made it looked even more mysterious.

The second door to her left was was a modern code lock door. Above its handle, there was a keypad, a card swipe slot, and a small scanner.

The first door to her right was a small revolving door. Even though it was made of glass, or at least something that was equally transparent, Bo couldn't see a single thing behind it. She curiously walked in, and was shocked to find herself in the hall again, as if she had never walked through that door.

"Alright, let's stop that before it sends you into some weird dimension, okay?" Tamsin teased, grabbing the back of Bo's collar to stop her from going through the door again.

"Fine..." Bo drawled as she looked at the last door. It was a wooden windowed one. Its window was a big piece of stained glass, featuring a complicated pattern of a lush tree.

Bo took out the smaller key and glanced at it. Then she raised her eyebrows at Tamsin while raising the key at the last door, letting the Valkyrie see the small hollow tree pattern on it. "It must be that one."

Tamsin waved her hand, gesturing Bo to open it.

The brunette shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it to unlocked the door. Before she turned the doorknob, though, she eyed the other three doors and murmured, "I wonder what's behind those."

"Well, if you really want to find out," Tamsin smirked as she pulled out a set of lockpick from her pocket.

Bo giggled. "Maybe next time," she said softly. "I don't want you to disappear into some weird place for another ten years."

Tamsin scoffed. "I doubt that would happen," she told Bo with her nose scrunched. "I'll make sure to kick your sweet little butt in first.."

The brunette giggled again, and Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Giggles, open the damn door and let's meet this librarian," the Valkyrie commanded, tapping Bo's cheek playfully.

Bo turned the knob and walked in, freezing there when she realized that she had just walked into a place full of trees, flowers and grass.

"I thought...shouldn't we be...aren't we on the third floor where there's limited space and a...roof?" She muttered as she scanned the room, which was much larger than she expected.

Tamsin gave her no answer, for she herself was shocked too.

The entire "room" was in fact a garden whose roof or walls could not be seen because lush vines had domed the entire place.

The floor was blanketed by green grass. Wildflowers of the color pink, blue and purple, together with small, ruby red berries, scattered among the greens, loosely forming a pattern that resembled a road which led to a spring in the middle of the garden. The crystal clear water rustled softly between several moss covered rocks.

Beside it, there was a tall tree. Its branches and leaves had grown into the shape of a huge umbrella, sheltering the whole place. A few chairs and tables were placed nearby, all covered in foliage.

"Okay, what exactly is this secret afternoon tea garden doing in here?" Tamsin murmured, frowning.

"Yeah, shouldn't there be a librarian and books here or something?" Bo grunted and looked around. After looking around but having seen no one else or even a single book nearby, she called, "Hello?"

No one answered her but the murmuring spring and the falling leaves.

"Hello? Anyone here?" She asked again, but still go no answer.

"Maybe the librarian went out for lunch?" Tamsin suggested, frowning.

"Yeah, at nine in the morning?"

"Says someone who sleeps till noon and still calls her first meal of the day _breakfast_ ," Tamsin teased as she leaned in and gave Bo a big smirk.

Bo gave her an eyeroll as return. She bit her bottom lip and frowned at the beautiful yet empty garden, before she hesitantly suggested, "maybe we need to like...perform a ritual to summon this librarian or something?"

"If by _ritual_ you mean dancing naked around that spring while chanting, you are on your own," Tamsin placed her right hand on Bo's shoulder and squeezed it firmly.

Bo slapped her hand off with a soft grunt. Then, she couldn't help but let out a few loud giggles at that idea.

"Did the Wolf tell you that we need to do anything in particular to meet this librarian?" Tamsin asked.

"No, I don't think so. I guess I'll give him a call and-"

She stopped abruptly when she heard a groan. She raised her eyebrows at Tamsin, and the Valkyrie stared back at her, confused.

"Did you do that?" Bo asked, frowning.

"Do what?" Tamsin frowned too. "I didn't do anything. If you want to make a call, do it."

Bo nodded. She was about to dial Dyson's number, when she heard another sound. This time, she was certain that it was a snort coming from behind her.

"Okay I heard that," Tamsin told her as she slowly pulled out her weapon. "I'm pretty sure it came from-" she approached the tree cautiously and poked it with her index finger, "-here."

A series of loud snores, grunts and mumbles suddenly came from the tree, as if it was not happy about being disturbed, and Tamsin immediately shielded Bo behind her.

"This tree is alive!" Bo exclaimed, and her loud voice made the leaves of the tree shudder.

"Who-who's there?" A low voice stuttered.

"Ummm...who's in there?" Bo poked the tree again.

"Stop poking me, you Succubus brat," the tree replied impatiently. At the same time, a small branch flung at Bo's wrist, slapping her hand away.

Tamsin let out a loud cough, which sounded more like a chuckle, and earned a nudge from Bo.

"Who's in there? Show yourself," Bo said, finding it both awkward and stupid that she was now talking to a tree.

"No one is _in_ me," the tree answered her. "I am the tree. The tree is me. Understand?"

"Oh," Bo nodded. She looked the tree up and down, before she asked, "are you a...Dryad or something?"

"Of course not, you idiot. Do I look like a Dryad to you, hmm?" The tree said angrily. Another branch came down and jabbed Bo's chest. "I thought you'd be smarter than this, considering that you are the granddaughter of the Blood King. I guess I was wrong."

"You know who I am?" Bo asked, a little surprised that a tree that was growing inside the Ash's secret chamber would know her identity before she had introduced herself.

"Of course I do. The birds and the wind have already alerted me about your presence when you two were miles away! You are Bo, the unaligned Succubus," the tree said, a small branch pointing at Bo's face. Then it quickly moved to point at Tamsin. "And you are Tamsin, the goddamn Valkyrie who came back after her rising."

"And you are?" Tamsin asked as she poked the branch that was pointing at her to make it go away.

"I am the librarian that you are looking for," the tree said proudly.

"Really?" Bo asked, frowning.

"Why, because I don't look like one? I know more things than anyone else in the world," the tree told her. "I am a Kodama. I've lived since the beginning of the world."

"Can we at least have your name?" Bo asked, her voice softened with politeness.

"My name is...well, my name is-" the tree cut itself off with some embarrassed coughs. "Names are not important, soooo very not important. Now, why do you two come here and wake me up, hmm?"

"Ummm, we were told that a librarian here, you, knows everything about the Ancients," Bo explained. "So if you don't mind, could you tell us the things you know about them?"

"The Ancients?" The tree hummed, before it went quite for a long time. "Of course, the Ancients, what do you want to know about them?"

"Just...anything. Everything," Tamsin replied. "Especially how they were defeated and what their weaknesses are."

"Yeah, and every little detail you know about Hades," Bo added.

"So the Ancients and Hades, huh? Oh this is gonna be fun," the tree said enthusiastically. It pulled two chairs and a table over. Then it dusted them clean for Tamsin and Bo. "Take a seat."

After both women sat down, the tree pondered for a while, before it eventually said, "if you two want to know everything about the Ancients, I'll have to start with the Primordians."

"The Primordians?" Both Bo and Tamsin frowned.

"Yes, the Primordians. The first kind. The ancestors of the Ancients, the Faes and the humans."

* * *

Standing in the descending elevator, Dagny felt that her heart had now jumped into her throat. She anxiously took a glance at the floor number buttons that had been lit one after another, while tucking her hand under her t-shirt. She tightly gripped the pair of shoes she had taken from the attic, and took a deep breath.

Guilt clawed her heart, making it very hard for her to breathe now. She tried to convince herself that it was for a good cause. She was just helping a terrified woman saving her child. A woman who had been imprisoned and scarred by Hades, who had probably carried the child against her will but was willing to die for her child. A woman like Tamsin, her own mother.

 _It's okay_. She told herself even though a voice in the back of her mind kept telling her no the entire time. _You are just gonna let her use the shoes. Then, you can put it back. There's no need to worry._

The elevator had stopped eventually. Its door opened. Like a beast that had opened its mouth, it revealed the darkness behind it. Dagny swallowed hard and stepped out.

The atmosphere in Tartarus made her hair stand just like last time. "Persephone?" She called in a whisper as she squeezed the pair of shoes in her hands.

The white gown woman appeared in front of her like a ghost. "You came," she said, reaching for the pair of shoes after taking a glance at them. "You have no idea how long I've been waited for this moment."

Dagny held them tightly, unwilling to let go. "I do have your blood oath, right?" She asked nervously. Why was she nervous, though? Was it just her? Or was it that flickering thirst in Persephone's eyes that made her feel that way? "I mean, you are gonna give them back to me once you are done with them, right? And...and using the shoes or saving your daughter will not hurt anyone or cause any catastrophe, right?"

Persephone gave her a comforting smile. "Of course not," she told Dagny. "You do have my blood oath, girl. It's an oath that can not be broken. I'm sure you know that, right?"

"I...I need to hear it again. I'm sorry, it's just…."

Persephone sighed. "Alright. I give you my blood oath, that once I'm done with the Helskor, I will give them back to you. Also, you have my my blood oath that using the shoes or saving my daughter will not hurt anyone or cause any catastrophe. Is it good enough for you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dagny nodded as she loosened her fingers, letting the other woman take the shoes.

Persephone smiled again, and that smile somehow creeped the young girl out a little. She frowned at that smile, that canine tooth showing grin, as an uncomfortable feeling creeped under her skin.

"Do I have something on my face?" Persephone asked her.

Dagny shook her head, but immediately froze there because for a split second there, she could swear that she had seen a face, an apparition of a man's face, fleeting across Persephone's.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, darling," the elder woman teased softly as she put one shoe on.

"Wait, I thought you said-don't you need to give those to your daughter?" Dagny asked, beyond confused. _And what was that with her face?_

"Oh, right," Persephone replied in a deep, male voice. "Sorry, I lied about who's needing the shoes."

Dagny paused for a bit. Then she huffed out a light laugh and said, " You-you must be kidding, right? You said that your daughter was-what happened to your voice?"

Her voice shivered in fear as she witnessed the "woman" in front of her changing into a man.

"P-Persephone?" She murmured, but where was that white gown woman? All she saw in front of her, was a good looking guy in a nice suit with blue eyes and gray hair. Something in his eyes gave her an urge of wanting to punch him right in his face.

"What the-who are you?! Where is Persephone?!" Dangy demanded as she pulled out her push dagger. Pulling one foot back, she raised her arms and lowered her elbows into a combat stance.

"Hmmm...good question. Let's see, where is Persephone?" the man raised his eyebrows and hummed. He spun himself around slowly, as if he was looking for Persephone. Then, he stopped, narrowed his eyes and raised his index finger to his lip. "Poor woman. She told you how she had her twins, and how one of them was bound to Tartarus, right? Oh, well, those were actually true, except that...she wasn't the one who talked to you on the phone. I was."

At first, Dagny had still hoped that this was a sick prank, but when she realized that the man in front of her wasn't joking, her blood ran cold. "Who the fuck are you?!" She hissed angrily as she lunged at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, watch your language, young lady," the man replied lazily and seized her wrist with one hand. His grip so tight that it felt like he was crushing her bone. "Did the human who raised you taught you to talk to your _father_ like this?"

Dagny's eyes shot wide open at the word "father". _Of course._ She thought. _Who else could shapeshift into someone else's form like this?_ She struggled to free her own hand from his grip, shuddering at the thought that she had just willingly handed over the pair of Helskor and was in Tartarus alone with him.

Swallowing down her fear, she thrust her dagger at the man's chest. "Don't you think for a second there that I'd ever call you my father!"

She watched the sharp blade cutting through his suit and into his flesh, but why wasn't he bleeding? Why didn't he look like he was in pain at all?

The man simply gave her a sly smile and grabbed her hand. He jerked her away, causing her to stumble. "Quite like your old sister. She used to greet me with weapons too," he murmured, looking down at the small hole on his suit.

"You gave me your blood oath that-"

"-I will return the shoes once I'm done with them. Too bad, I didn't tell you when I'll be done with them, or who is gonna use them in my blood oath. Plus, using the shoes won't hurt anyone anyway," Hades cut her off. There was so much arrogance in his voice, that it made Dagny give him a hard punch on his face.

"Now I see your mother in you too, dear. Feisty, my favorite kinda girl," the man told her in a soft voice. He simply dodged her attacks as he continued, "makes me want to break you too."

"You can only dream," Dagny hissed and kept punching him. She knew she couldn't hurt him at all, but all the rage and fear in her heart screamed for an exit.

"I wish I could just stand here and do this with you forever, but unfortunately I have things to take care of right now, so if you would excuse me." He pushed her away and put the second shoe on.

"You are not going anywhere," Dagny yelled and grasped his arm.

"I'm sorry. I can't take you with me," Hades told her as he flung her arm away forcefully, throwing her into the floor. "Why don't you just stay here?" With that, he burst into a bright light.

"No!" Dagny yelled, trying to grab him but he was already gone with the light.

For a moment, she had a hard time believing that what had just happened actually happened. How could she be so stupid? How could she have not smelled anything wrong, after hearing all the things he had done to Bo, to her own mother, and to those who she had never gotten the chance to meet?

It was the first time in her entire life that she had experienced such a lie. She had never thought that helping someone could get herself in trouble, until now.

She shook her head and ran towards the elevator. _Must tell them what happened_. She thought as she banged her fist on the call button.

Soon the elevator came. When the warm light came out from the inside, she almost cried. She tried to go in, but was shocked to find that she couldn't. It was like there was an invisible wall between the carriage and her, and it stopped her from entering.

"Oh you must be kidding me!" She yelled as she threw herself at it, and a strong force sent her back into the floor.

The elevator closed its door and left. She called it again, and again, but no matter what she did, she could no longer get in.

It was then she realized in terror what Hades had meant when he had said "why don't you just stay here". He had ordered her to stay here, in Tartarus. She was no longer able to leave on her own.

She struggled to get her phone out, but there wasn't a single bar on the screen. "Searching for service", it told her. She tried to make an emergency call, but failed, and that killed her last hope.

"Help!" She yelled as she staggered around in the darkness. Tears covered her face.

No one answered her. There were nothing but the echoes of her own voice, and a cold, whispering susurrus which chilled her spine.

Fear seized her heart, but not for long. It quickly turned into rage, a furious burn that she couldn't control, a ravishing beast that was pounding against her ribcage. It made her blood boil in pain.

On her back, under her shoulder blades, she felt a sudden, sharp pain, as if something was bursting through her flesh, forcing its way out.

She shivered in sobs as she reached her hand back, but didn't find anything abnormal.

The pain grew stronger, as if it was pulling her bones apart. She stumbled around in the darkness, frightened.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of something beside her, and she turned. She saw a pair of eyes, bright as burning coals, red as fresh blood.

A loud battle cry burst through her chest. She thrust her push dagger at it. The loud, shattering noise made her realize that she had just broken a big piece of glass.

The shards scattered on the floor, reflecting a hundred red eyes, if not a thousand. They were all staring back at her.

 _What the hell?_ She thought as she turned on the flashlight on her phone. She leaned in to take a closer look, with her breath held and her body shaking.

There, she saw her own reflection, her skin pale as if she was dead, her eyes red like burning flames, and her blonde hair now as dark as raven's feathers.

* * *

 **A/N: so Hades is out, and Dagny is trapped in Tartarus...and what is happening to Dagny? You'll find out more in the next few chaps. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Alright, tell us everything about the Primordians then," Bo requested as she leaned forward towards the tree.

"It was a long, long time ago. They were once considered as Gods, because they were the most powerful."

"I thought the Ancients were once considered as Gods," Bo frowned.

The tree snorted. "That was long after the fall of the Primordians."

"What happened to them?"

"The Ancients happened," the tree said. "Zeus and his, oh well, her brothers and sisters happened. They were young and reckless. They wanted attention. They wanted everyone to worship them. They wanted to become the new Gods. They started a war against the Primordians. You might have heard of it, the war between the Titans and Zeus' army."

"The Titans are the Primordians?" Tamsin frowned.

"Yes, they've had many names in the past, but I prefer to call them the Primordians, for they were the very first kind," the tree explained. "They'd produce their children through parthenogenesis, who were just as powerful as themselves. However, they also mate, and through that the Ancients were born. The Ancients were less powerful, but they were more greedy, selfish, with full desires for everything. The Primordians quickly realized that the Ancients had become a threat, and they sought ways to eliminate them. However, they had also learned, through the prophecies, that the fate would stand on the Ancients' side. The Primordians, they searched for solutions, until an oracle told them that they had to create a new kind, and this new kind would eventually banish the Ancients from the Earth."

"The new kind...you mean...us? The Fae kind?" Bo asked.

The crown of the tree fluttered slightly, as if it was nodding. "Exactly. So they created the Faes. Don't ask me how, because I don't know, but just like what the oracle had told them, it was the Faes who banished the Ancients, long after the Primordians were gone."

"Who created humans then?" Bo asked curiously.

"The Ancients did," the tree replied. "They created a powerless specie because the only thing that they wanted was for the humans to fear them, to worship them, to treat them as Gods. Of course, they hadn't foreseen their fate, and their era ended quickly. Now the humans barely know about them."

"Where are the Primordians now? Are they all dead?"

"Most of them, yes. A few alive ones are now trapped in the deepest corner in hell. Zeus imprisoned them there." The tree paused for a bit, before it raised a branch and pointed at the two women, "you've met one before."

"What? When?" Both women exclaimed at the same time.

"Ten years ago," the tree said. "That Ancient girl, Iris, had one inside her. The Succubus then turned the crank of that box, and sent that one back to hell."

"You mean...Nyx? Nyx is a Primordian?!" Bo opened her eyes wide in shock.

"You know, that actually makes a lot of sense," Tamsin told her after having pondered for a short while. "Even Hades admitted that she was more powerful than him, and that he couldn't defeat her."

"Yeah..." Bo said. "Too bad, we can't just release someone who turns everything she touches into black dust of nothing out from hell to battle my father."

She paused for a bit, before she asked, "that box. Is there a way to make another one?"

"Is there a way to make another one...no of course not, you idiot," the tree growled. "Hephaestus made that box using Adamantine, pure Adamantine, which can not be found anywhere anymore."

"Oh great," Bo grunted while rolling her eyes. She smacked her lips, before she continued, "the Fae banished the Ancients. How did that happen?"

"Well, it was long after the Primordians' fall. The tensions between the Faes and the Ancients had become quite high. Faes refused to follow the Ancients' rules. They refused to worship them like the humans did. The Ancients, of course, weren't happy about that at all. The war started, one after another…."

"And then?"

"Then, this rumor about a painting came around. It contained a song, the first song. It took the Faes centuries to finally figure it out. A Siren sang it, and the song sent all Ancients to Myth. All of them but one."

"Who? Who was the one that wasn't banished?"

"Who do you think, missy?" The tree said to Tamsin impatiently. "It was of course Hades."

"Why wasn't he banished? Because the song wasn't powerful enough?"

"No," the tree said. "He didn't get banished to Myth, because Zeus had already had him trapped in Tartarus at that time."

Tamsin frowned. "but…being sent to Tartarus was his plan all along," she murmured. "He made everyone believe that he was tricked to draw the shortest straw, but the truth was that it was exactly what he had wanted. He wanted to go to Tartarus. He wanted to exploit the darkness and all those bitter souls."

"Maybe it was more than that," Bo said. "What if...he went to Tartarus on purpose to avoid being sent to Myth?"

"But, how could he have known that? That was long before the Ancients were banished," Tamsin said. "How could he have known that the Ancients were about to go down?"

"I don't know," Bo said, shaking her head.

"Anyway," the tree interrupted their conversation impatiently. "The Ancients were banished, except Hades. Their presence remained nothing but a legend, a myth."

"Okay, enough for the bedtime stories," Tamsin said. "How can we kill him?"

"You, can't," the tree said, pointing at Tamsin. Then it pointed at Bo and added, "you, can't either. With the Ancients trapped in Myth, and the Primordians caged in Tartarus, there is no one who is more powerful than him now."

"Well, technically, we don't need them to actually come over to fight him. All we need is just Zeus' lightning bolt," Bo suggested. "That is powerful enough to kill Hades, isn't it?"

"It is, but that short spear, which was made of Zeus' lightning and thunder, went missing after they were sent to Myth. Its whereabouts remained unknown."

"Well, we are private investigators. We are good at finding stuff," Bo said as she turned to Tamsin and grinned.

"Fine, be my guest," the tree drawled. "Even if you find it, you can't use it."

"And why is that?"

"Because holding that spear in your hand is just like holding the lightning," the tree explained. "It would kill you."

"Well, someone gotta take that burn so we can get rid of him for good," Bo hummed and exchanged a firm look with Tamsin.

"What else do you know about Hades?" The Valkyrie asked.

"Hades? Let's see..." the tree murmured. "He's the oldest child, but not the most powerful, and I don't think he ever took that well. He can barely hold a grudge. He likes to remain invisible for most of the time...loves his invisible helmet…."

"He has an invisible helmet?" Bo furrowed her eyebrows.

"He had one," the tree said, "but Zeus forced him to give up his helmet as a punishment for abducting Persephone. Hephaestus later destroyed it."

"Good," Bo let out a sigh of relief. "What else?"

"Hmmm...he likes to be in the darkness. He feeds off negative energy, the darkness in the souls. That's why for most of the time he stays in his realm, lurking. When he comes up to the Earth, though, he usually makes his appearance dramatic...he'd be fully armored, in his four Pyrippi drawn chariot…."

"Four Pyrippi? There are four of them? I thought what I had inside me was _the_ Pyrippus. The one and the only," Bo said curiously.

"Well, his had four. I'm no horse experts, so I can't really tell you what happened to them. They were one of his symbols, though. The four hell horses, black as night. Of course he's also known by his three-headed hellhound, Cerberus, his cypress staff and his hell gate key."

Both women nodded along while pondering.

"You said neither of us are powerful enough to defeat him," Bo eventually said. "I know I didn't kill him, but I think I am at least powerful enough to banish him to somewhere...or did I?"

"It's hard to say," the tree replied after a long pause. "You might have sent him away, but you certainly did not hurt him or anything. And who's to say that it wasn't something he had already planned?"

"Planned or not, if I didn't hurt him, why hasn't he tried anything for the past ten years? Why now? Why would he wait for this long?" Bo fired her question out.

"How the hell do I know?" The three grunted. "I am a librarian, not a oracle or a mind reader. I only keep records of the past. I don't predict the future, nor do I read minds."

Then, it let out a long, deep sighing sound. "Talking to you two makes me tired," the tree said. "I must sleep now. I do have a few books written about the Ancients, in case either of you want to spend some time on reading."

"Of course," Bo nodded.

The leaves of the tree fluttered, and three books fell down into the table, one after another.

"Now I believe that I'm in a library," Bo commented as she picked up one and brushed a few leaves off its cover. The cover felt rough, like it was made of tree bark, and the pages inside were actually thick, durable leaves with writings on them.

"Hey, let's go grab some lunch and read these, okay?" She proposed, nudging the Valkyrie.

Tamsin, however, didn't respond. She was looking at her phone, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Something's wrong?" Bo asked.

"Yeah, I mean, probably nothing. It's Acacia. She said that they couldn't find Dagny anywhere," Tamsin murmured.

"Maybe she got bored and went home?"

"No," Tamsin shook her head. "They would have known if she had left, because they'd have to open the gate for her...it's probably nothing, but I better go check."

"I'm going with you then," Bo offered as she quickly picked up the books.

* * *

After stumbling in the darkness in panic for a while, Dagny eventually became too exhausted to move. With her heart plagued by fear, she curled up in a corner and sobbed. She drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in them, while choking in her own tears.

A loud beep spooked her. She jolted, pulling out her weapon, only to realize that it was just a reminder on her phone.

"Pick up carrots." It was a note she had put down before she had left the shack this morning, when Kenzi asked her to get some carrots on the way home.

She coughed out several sobs as she stared at the screen of her phone. Kenzi's profile picture was there, right beside that note, and that warm face suddenly gave her strength.

 _Lil' Dagnija, I can't protect you forever. No one can._ Kenzi's voice came to her. _One day, you are gonna find yourself in a shithole. Trust me, you will, someday. When you do, don't panic and don't cry. Better spend your time looking for a way out than sitting there and crying, right?_

 _That's right_. Dagny thought as she wiped her tears off her face with her shaking hands. She took a few deep breaths and swallowed down her sobs before she forced herself to stand up.

Although still shivering, she looked around with the flashlight on her cell phone turned on.

She found herself inside a room, which she had no idea when or how she had entered. It looked like a hotel room, like one of those she had seen in Valhalla, only this one was covered in dust and cobwebs.

There were a few pieces of old furniture inside. A bed with stained linens and two nightstands on each side. A desk with a matching chair. A tall, empty dresser.

When she saw the mirror on the dresser door, she hesitantly approached it.

There, she saw herself, normal again. There was no pale skin, no raven hair, nor red eyes. It was just her, frightened, with vigilant eyes.

It was then she had noticed that the pain on her back was gone too. That made her feel a little relieved. She pressed her back against the wall and took a deep breath.

 _It's okay. You are okay. You are not hurt._ She told herself, trying not to think about the fact that she was now trapped in Tartarus.

She exited the room cautiously, finding herself in the dark, empty hall again. She could see the vague light coming from the elevator shaft. It reminded her that whatever she had gotten herself into was real.

Knowing that looking for an exit now would be a waste of time, since it was Hades who had ordered her to stay, she decided to look for help first, but there was no one around. The only moving things were some stray souls. She could see their faces vaguely, distorted by agony and despair.

Fortunately enough, though, those souls had no interest in her at all. In fact, it seemed that they were unaware of her existence. They just wandered about, making quiet, painful noises.

Those noises reminded Dagny of the background noise she had heard when she was on the phone with "Persephone".

It made her angry again, but she quickly swallowed it because something important had just occurred to her.

 _The phone._ She thought. _If that son of bitch made a call to Valhalla, there must be a phone down here somewhere. If I could find it, maybe I can call someone too._

She checked the rooms one by one, but none of them seemed to have a phone installed. After she had searched all rooms on the floor she was at, she reached the staircase leading to the lower levels.

She hesitated for a while, before she went down slowly. She could hear her own footsteps, echoing lonely in the emptiness. That sound squeezed her heart.

The floor down was even darker. The darkness in front of her, it seemed to be absorbing the light coming from her phone. She could barely see anything.

It took her a while to figure out that she was again in a long hallway, with lots of rooms on both sides. She could hear distant screams and wails, but she saw no one nearby.

She checked the rooms one by one, but again no luck. Then, she went down further. She kept looking, until she found herself in an access restricted area.

The corridor in front of her was blocked by a huge, ancient sign with old writings on. She could only understand two words, one in English and the other in Fae language; both of them meant "stop".

Behind it, there was a small room. She assumed that it was some sort of concierge room because there was a bell on the desk inside and a big mailbox with room numbers. Beside each number there was a small key hanger, but not all of them had keys.

Dagny took a deep breath and lifted the warning sign to drag it to the side. Then, she picked the lock of the door and entered the room.

Out of curiosity, she checked the mailboxes first. The slots were all empty. She noticed that beside each room number, there was a carved symbol. One of them was a dove. Another one was a staff. There was also a dog, or a wolf. Some slots had their symbols marked out, like one of them had a cat, or a tiger there, but was crossed out by two deep etches.

She had barely started looking for a phone, when the door behind her suddenly swung shut.

She gasped and turned around with her push dagger raised. She almost screamed when she saw a woman standing in front of her.

Her face only a few inches away from Dagny's. She was pale as a ghost, and all the blacks she was wearing made her look even paler. Her lips were red, too red, as if she had just gulped fresh blood.

"W-who are you?!" Dagny hissed, stepping back slowly while staring at the other woman.

The woman pulled one corner of her lips up into a grin. "Hmmm, I thought you'd be shorter, more like a kid, you know," she said to Dagny as she eyed the young girl. Her voice was the sweetest that Dagny had ever heard, almost hypnotic.

"Who are you?" Dagny asked again.

"Right, I guess it's common courtesy to introduce myself first, huh," the woman murmured, her light blue eyes staring into Dagny's. They were just like her voice, hypnotic. "Hi, I'm Melinoe. I am your half sister."

"My...what?" Dagny narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

"Your half sister, you know. We share the same father but not the same mom," Melinoe explained as she tapped Dagny's cheeks gently. Her hand was so cold that it made the young girl shiver.

Dagny slapped her hand away and frowned at her. Then she remembered something that Hades had said to her. "Wait, are you...Persephone's daughter?"

The other woman scoffed. "As much as I hate to admit, yes," she drawled, "she was the one who gave birth to me."

"You are one of her twins? The one that's trapped in Tartarus?"

"You say it like it's bad thing to belong here," Melinoe chuckled. She leaned in and grinned at Dagny again, before she added,"actually, leaving me here with my dad was probably the only right thing that woman has ever done in her pathetic life."

Dagny opened her mouth but couldn't say a thing. She dodged the woman's cheek-touching hand and stepped away.

"Dad said that he'd be gone for a while. He told me that when I see you, I need to act like a big sister," Melinoe said softly as she grabbed Dagny's wrist.

The young girl struggled, but Melinoe's fingers felt like iron clasps on her wrist. She was dragged out from the room forcefully and into the dark corridor behind the warning sign.

"Let me show you around a little, okay?" Melinoe said to Dagny in chuckles. "You can call me Mel. Mel is fine, but no Meli, never Meli…."

* * *

Dyson parked his car on the side of the street, right in front of the bright yellow crime scene tapes that had quarantined a business building.

A fellow officer immediately came over to him while waving his arms at Dyson to tell him to turn around. When he realized that it was the former detective, though, he hesitantly said, "I'm sorry, but you are...no longer in the force."

"Oh that's right," Dyson murmured as he quickly took out a name badge from the glovebox. The slightly tattered badge had his photo and his name on, with a bold, black "consultant" under.

The officer nodded after checking the badge. Then he smiled at Dyson and lifted the tape to let him in.

Dyson followed the thick smell of blood all the way into the basement parking under the building.

There were no one but a few frightened witnesses being interviewed by several police officers, and a covered body beside a tan SUV.

Mark, who stood right next to the body, waved at him immediately.

Dyson gave him a brief nod and rushed to his side. He brought one knee down on the ground, and lifted the cover.

There, he saw a body of a mid aged female covered in blood. Her throat had been slit. Her eyes were still wide open, a terrified look on her face. Her purse was right next to her, with a few items scattered around: a couple of pens, a small pack of tissue, a small tin can of lip balm.

Dyson examined her briefly, before he looked around. Blood spatters stained the rear window of that SUV. It dribbled down all the way to the floor, forming a short trail between there and the dead body.

"No signs of struggle," he concluded after having seen no defensive wounds on the woman, nor any evidence that would suggest that there had been a fight between her and the killer.

Then he checked the woman's purse. "Whoever killed her didn't take any money or her jewelries, so I guess it's not a robbery."

He paused for a bit after that, his eyes narrowed at Mark. "Is there anything special about this case that you had to give me a call?"

Mark pointed at the cover of the lip balm can, where a small eucalyptus branch was drawn. "Eucalyptus oil," he said, rubbing his nose.

"Right, right, eucalyptus oil, it's too overwhelming for you and you can't smell other things, just like what cat litters would do to me," Dyson nodded. He sniffed in the air carefully, before he added, "she was definitely Fae."

"Can you smell anything else?" Mark asked.

Dyson inhaled deeply while paying attention to all traces of smell that he had picked up. Blood. Gas. Metal. Mud. The woman's perfume. Her lipstick on her lips. Everyone else's deodorant. One of the cops' citrus scented shampoo. The metallic smell of the coins in the woman's purse. The sweet, thick scent of the syrup stain on Mark's pants….

Eventually, he was able to picked up a vague scent that lingered in the air and on the dead body.

He frowned as he turned his head sideways to sniff it again.

"Something weird?" Mark asked.

"No, I wouldn't call it weird," Dyson told him, "it's just familiar…."

He knew he had definitely smelled it before, but it seemed to be a long time ago. He couldn't quite put a face to that smell.

When he laid his eyes on the slit throat of the victim for the second time, though, something hit him and he growled.

He dashed out, going after that smell, but it completely disappeared at the exit of the parking lot.

"What? What's wrong? Who did you smell?" Mark asked.

"It's Hades..." Dyson squeezed that name through his gnashed teeth, feeling the smell of the victim's blood suddenly clogging his throat.

* * *

 **A/N: I know Dyson is no longer a detective, but I think it'll be nice to have him working on a case with Mark because I don't just want him to stay in the bar as a bar tender :)**

 **Also about Melinoe, in Greek mythology, she's the daughter of Hades and Persephone. She does have a brother, but I don't think they are twins. In this story, though, they are, and of course her character might just be drastically different than what has described in the myths. I need a crazy bitch who is also a victim here.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

On the spiral staircase in the main hall in Valhalla, Tamsin and Bo ran into Acacia.

"Found her yet?" Tamsin asked the elder Fae impatiently.

Acacia shook her head. "I'm on my way to see the surveillance camera feed."

"After you," Tamsin said as she gestured Bo to follow them.

The three of them headed to the security room located at the end of the hallway on the first floor. Several women sitting in there left the room as Acacia ordered them to do so.

"Alright," the elder Fae drawled as she pointed at the empty chairs in front of the desk.

Tamsin immediately sat down and looked at the multiple monitors on the wall. She switched between the cameras to look for Dagny but couldn't locate the young girl.

After letting out a low, frustrated curse, Tamsin switched to recorded video clips from earlier this morning.

"Okay...she entered the main hall this morning..." Bo murmured when she saw Dagny's face on one of the clips. The young girl went through the gate and followed the crowd into Valhalla.

"Hmm…" Tamsin frowned at the screen when she saw that Dagny didn't go to the reception desk as she was supposed to. "Where the hell is she heading?" She murmured as she watched her daughter turn the opposite direction after she had gone upstairs. Then, Dagny disappeared.

"Bathroom maybe?" Bo shrugged.

"Yeah, right after she has passed two bathrooms on the way upstairs?" Tamsin rolled her eyes and kept browsing through all the clips. She quickly found another one with Dagny in it.

The young girl walked briskly down a closed area which was under maintenance. She did not even bother to glance at the "Do Not Enter" sign that was blocking the corridor on her left when she turned that way.

Due to the limited angle of view of the camera, she could no longer been seen in the footage, but a few minutes later, she reappeared, heading out from the closed corridor. She was running now, and soon she disappeared again.

Tamsin took a deep breath, before she looked for Dagny again. Soon she found her in the elevator room, pacing anxiously. Whenever someone walked into the room or out from an elevator, Dagny would turn away and act like she was there looking at the map that was hanging on the wall.

The camera slowly panned away from the place where the young girl had been standing, and when it came back awhile later, Dagny was gone.

Tamsin went through the rest of the footage, but Dagny wasn't in them. Then, she re-watched everything and made sure Dagny only showed up in those three clips.

"Where could she be...?" She murmured as she switched between the footages, trying to see if she had missed something. When she came to the footage of the elevator room again, she noticed something: when the camera was on Dagny, she was the only person in the elevator room, but after it had panned away and come back again, there were a group of souls there, but no Dagny. Behind them, an elevator door slid shut.

"Great," she murmured as she sighed. "I'm assuming that brat went into a fucking elevator." She pointed at the closed elevator.

"Even if she had, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere without a permission," Acacia said.

Tamsin frowned, but quickly shrugged it off. She replayed the video clip at the closed area. Her eyebrows furrowed the hardest when she saw Dagny passing by the "Do Not Enter" sign. "Why the hell would she even go in there?" She murmured.

"Hey," Bo suddenly exclaimed as she paused the video. "That sign...isn't that the same place where we found her the last time? Remember when we took her over here the first time, we had to go look for her?"

Tamsin hesitantly nodded. She had remembered that day now. Acacia's assistant, Gwen or whatever her name was, took Dagny for a tour but had lost sight of her. Bo and her went to look for Dagny, and found the young girl in a closed section where there was this "Do Not Enter" sign. She even remembered that she had banged her fist on that sign hard while asking Dagny if she had seen it.

"Is there something in there?" She turned to Acacia and asked. "You know, something that she might be interested or whatever?"

"No, it's just a section that is under maintenance. We are renovating this place and we run into a little bit of a budget problem. That area has been closed for a while now."

"Then why did she go there?" Tamsin and Bo said almost at the same time as they looked at each other. Then, they both stood up and headed out.

They rushed to the closed area, where the carpets had been rolled to the side and the walls were still being painted. Old furniture filled the rooms in that corridor which Dagny had entered.

Tamsin checked the corridor, before she started to examined the rooms. "She seemed to have come here for a reason...what exactly could it be?"

"Hey," Bo called as she beckoned to Tamsin at the doorway of one of the rooms. The Valkyrie immediately entered it.

Tamsin scanned the entire room quickly. Other than a bunch of old, dusty furniture, she had seen nothing interesting.

"A lot of dust, huh?" Bo murmured as she walked to a flipped recliner. She got down on one knee and pointed at an old rotary phone that was under the recliner and continued, "except this."

Tamsin frowned at the phone. It was covered in dust too, and the bottom part of the phone had nearly been ripped off. A few wires stuck out from the inside, entangled in cobwebs. However, the handset and the rotary dial looked clean, like someone had used it recently.

Tamsin picked up the phone and examined it. When she saw the number etched on the side, she frowned hard. "This...is one of my phones," she murmured

"Your phones?" Bo asked, confused.

Tamsin sighed. "In Valhalla, communications are usually made through phones. Like...remember when we were here last time, Hades called me the on phone? That's how we communicate here. And, each phone is bound to a certain Valkyrie, like she'd be the only one who's able to hear them ringing and answer them. This one is one of mine. It's bound to me."

"Huh," Acacia murmured after having taken a look at the phone. "I thought I ordered them to scratch your number off and to reset them so we could assign it to another Valkyrie, but I guess they missed this one or something…."

Bo cleared her throat and said,"so...it's bound to you, and only you are able to use it, but...when I was here, I was able to hear your phone ring too. How is that possible?"

"Yeah, well, that's because you are the daughter of Hades. He's the one of the few who can override the binding power and communicate through any phones in all underworlds. You have his blood in you, so..." Tamsin shrugged. "Anyway, in order to use this phone, you'd have to either have Hades' blood in you, or mine-"

She stopped abruptly as something just stuck her. She couldn't even explain what it was, but it felt terrifying for some reason. She licked her lips as she looked down at that old phone.

"What's wrong?" Bo asked as she gently grabbed Tamsin's arm. Concerned, she leaned in and looked at the blonde in the eyes.

Tamsin shook her head and turned to Acacia. "Do you still keep phone records here?"

"We do," the elder Fae nodded.

"I need all the incoming and outcoming calls made this morning on this phone," Tamsin demanded.

Acacia nodded again. "It'll take a few minutes," she told Tamsin before she exited the room.

She made a few calls using the phone on the corridor, before she returned. "Well, the list is very short," she told Tamsin, her voice tight.

"Just tell me," Tamsin urged, her voice somehow shaking a little.

"One outcoming call was made to Tartarus this morning," Acacia replied. After a brief pause, she added, "I also asked them to check for the recent calls. There were some incoming calls from Tartarus, as well as a couple of outcoming calls made in the past week. They all appeared to have been made at the days that Dagny was here."

Tamsin closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She squeezed the handset unconsciously until it suddenly cracked in her fingers.

"Whoa!" Bo exclaimed as she grabbed the Valkyrie's hand to stop her from cutting herself. "Tamsin, what's wrong?"

Tamsin shook her head immediately. Then she huffed. She was about to explain to Bo, but a maid came into the room in a hurry.

The maid whispered something to Acacia, and the elder Fae closed her eyes and sighed. After the woman left, Acacia turned to Tamsin and said, "that was Berlinda coming to tell me about the elevator records that I had asked for. That elevator you saw in the video clip, made a trip down to Tartarus right around that time. However, we did not have any delivery to or from there this morning."

Tamsin pushed out a sigh through her clenched teeth. She hurled the phone to the wall afterwards and watched it shatter. "She talked to someone over the phone and she went down there?! Oh I swear to all the Gods…."

"Hey. What are you even talking about? What happened?" Bo, beyond confused, grabbed Tamsin's arm again.

"Well, that little rodent came into this place this morning, and now the records shows that a call was made to Tartarus on this damn phone. _My_ damn phone," Tamsin pointed at the broken phone on the floor. "Then later, she showed up in the elevator room, where a fucking elevator went down to Tartarus despite no delivery. Now she's gone. Connect the dots and tell me what happened, Bo."

Bo opened her mouth. "Wait...are you saying that...Dagny called someone in Tartarus on the phone, and then she went down there? Why would she do that? Who could she be talking to?"

"Who do you think, hmmm?" Tamsin growled.

Bo licked her lips, refusing to spit out the obvious. "Maybe she did talk to someone on the phone, and then she got curious about Tartarus so she went to check it out?"

"It doesn't work like that, Bo," Tamsin said after an impatient growl. "As an alive person, you can't just go down there. Either the Dark Lord has to invite you in, or a Valkyrie has to bring you in. Either way, you can't just-"

"Are you saying that my father somehow...invited her into Tartarus?" Bo had finally said it. Something that both Tamsin and her were too afraid to say out loud.

The Valkyrie didn't answer her. She turned to Acacia and asked, "where are my backup weapons? Are they still in the weaponry?"

"They are, but what exactly are you gonna do? You can't just storm into Tartarus like this," Acacia said as she grabbed Tamsin's arm and pulled her back forcefully.

"Oh yes I can, and that's far better than do nothing," Tamsin hissed as she flung her arm to free herself. She stormed down the hallway, anger and fear brewing in her chest.

"Tamsin!" Bo called her name and grabbed her arm. The brunette yanked her back and held her shoulders firmly. "Listen, I agree with you. It does sound like she had gone to Tartarus for whatever reasons, and we do need to find her asap."

"Then let me go before I make you," Tamsin forced the words through her clenched teeth.

"No," Bo told her simply. She held the Valkyrie's hand in hers and squeezed those cold sweat covered fingers. "Not when you are shaking like this."

The Valkyrie took a desperate inhale. "Just let me go find her, Bo," she said in a low voice, almost pleading.

"I will, under one condition. I am going with you," Bo announced as she gently ran the back of her index finger along Tamsin's cheek. Her charms lit the blonde's pale skin.

"I don't need your protection, Bo," Tamsin hissed as she fought the warm sensation from Bo's power.

"I'm not offering myself as your protection, Tamsin. I just can't let you go alone," Bo said softly. "Dagny might be in danger already. I can not risk you too."

The sincerity in those brown eyes made Tamsin close her eyes and sigh. She took a deep breath while letting Bo's charm soothe her tightened muscles and pounding heart. "Fine, just don't expect me to wait for your slow ass all the time when we are down there then."

Bo smiled and squeezed the Valkyrie's fingers again. After making sure that Tamsin had calmed down, she let go of her hand and asked,"now, what exactly is our plan?"

The Valkyrie scoffed. "Our plan? Oh it's really simple. We go in, we kill whoever that's in our way, we find her and we get out. And the bonus part? We kick her little sorry ass so hard that she's never gonna even think about doing this shit again for the rest of her life!"

Bo huffed out a chuckle. "Alright then, let's go grab some weapons and find our girl."

* * *

Dagny uncomfortably turned and twisted her arm but she couldn't free herself from Melinoe's grip. She cleared her throat for a few times, before she started, "hey, M-Mel?"

"Yes?" The other woman immediately turned to her with a grin.

"It's really nice of you to...you know, show me around. The-the throne room is really great," Dagny stuttered, "and that prison is...very big and...gloomy. I guess? But ummm...I really need to go home now."

Mel frowned at her, as if she had just said something ridiculous. "This is your home."

"No, it's not," Dagny said. "It's-not that it sucks down here," _except it sucks major balls_ , she thought to herself before continuing, "it's just...I really need to go home now. I'm sure that they are all looking me, you know."

"Nonsense," Melinoe threw her hand into the air. "You belong here, with dad, with me."

"No I really don't," Dagny argued. "The last thing I want to do is to be with him."

Melinoe narrowed her eyes at Dagny, and the young girl's heart squeezed nervously in fear. _She's gonna breathe fire through her eyes and eat me now_. She thought as she saw the angry flames in Mel's pale eyes.

However, the other woman just smiled instead. "Please," she said softly as she pinched Dagny's cheek. "You only say that because you've never spent a day with him! You don't even know him."

"Oh I've heard plenty about him," Dagny murmured.

Melinoe snorted. "I know, I know. They all spread bad words about him. Everybody thinks that he's a bad guy, blah blah blah...They are crazy! He's the best father ever, you know. He even taught me how to torture souls and kill people! Isn't he great?"

"No he isn't. And there's something seriously wrong with you," Dagny commented despite the fear of provoking Melinoe.

The other woman seemed not to have been offended by her words, though. She sighed softly and tilted her head slightly to the side as she gave Dagny a look of sympathy.

"One day, you will understand," she said. "This is your home. You only home. Your only family is dad and me."

"That's not true. I have a whole lovely family out there. I have two moms. They are both amazing. And I have Bo. She's a lot nicer than you, and there's Mark and-"

"She's a lot nicer than you," Melinoe interrupted her by mimicking the young girl's tone, a hint of malice seeping through her voice. "See, you act like you hate him, but you are exactly like him. Everything is about Bo. Bo is a lot nicer than you. Bo is a lot smarter than you. Bo holds a great power inside her. Bo this, Bo that. Bo, Bo, Bo! It really pisses me off! You know what I'm gonna do when I see _Bo_? I'm gonna scar her face and rip her heart out and…."

Her mumbles made Dagny grimace and shiver. "Hey," the young girl interrupted her. "It's really nice to meet you, Mel. I just...I really need to go home now. Can you just let me go?"

"No," Melinoe refused simply as she squeezed Dagny's wrist. "Dad said to keep you here until he returns." Then, she giggled at Dagny's push dagger and added, "don't even think about it."

Dagny didn't listen to her. She thrust the blade at Mel as hard as she could. Before it touched the other woman's body, though, Mel gave her an evil grin and gripped her forearm.

She forced Dagny to the wall, and bent her arm till the tip of the blade was pressed tightly against the young girl's throat.

"I told you. Don't even think about it," Melg said softly. "I really don't want to hurt you, because dad told me not to, but if you keep trying, we will see some blood, or maybe a ripped out eye or something."

Dagny swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She had used every bit of strength that she had trying to push the other woman away but she couldn't do anything at all.

Melinoe let go of her hand shortly. She grabbed Dagny's waist and threw her into a room beside them. "Stay here, okay?" She said in a sweet voice. "I'll bring you some food."

"I am not hungry! I don't want to stay here either!" Dagny yelled.

Mel just giggled at her and left the room. The door flung shut behind her. Dagny rushed to the door, trying to open it, but it just wouldn't.

She picked the lock instead, but she couldn't open it. It looked like a simple lock. She could even see through the keyhole, but inside there, there was just something that would prevent her from unlatching it.

After her 11th failure, she had lost her patience. "Let me go!" She yelled in frustration as she banged her fist against the door. "Please, let me go!"

Melinoe, however, did not answer her at all, and eventually Dagny gave up. She combed her hair with her fingers as she looked around in great frustration.

It was another small room of hotel room style. Everything in here looked worn out, but clean. There was no other exits other than the door, not even a tiny window. She smashed a chair to the wall, but other than making her arms sore, she achieved nothing.

Sitting down on the bed and sighed, she wondered if she should just temporarily accept the fact that she was a prisoner now.

Mel returned shortly, with a tray of food and a small candle in her hand. She left everything on the table, gave Dagny a sweet smile, and exited the room.

Dagny let out a deep sigh, and glanced at the food. There were two chunky slices of meat covered in gravy. Two bread buns with the size of her fist was placed next to them. She didn't see any vegetables, but there were plenty of fruits, grapes in the color of red, black and green, fresh figs, and a big, red pomegranate. There was also a bowl of milk and a small saucer with honey in it.

The food looked surprisingly enticing, and she suddenly felt that her stomach was screaming for food now. It was a bit strange considering that she hadn't even been hungry a few minutes ago, but she shrugged it off and hesitantly sat down beside the table.

She cautiously smelled the meat first. They smelled like pork to her, and they were more mouthwatering than Kenzi's Yuletide night dinner.

She licked her lips and picked up a bread first. She tore it into smaller pieces and soaked them in the gravy. Then, she picked up one chunk and moved it to her mouth.

Just when she was about to put it in, she caught a glimpse of a moving object. She jolted and dropped the bread piece on the table, when something dark flew across the room from behind her and landed beside the plate.

"Ewww!" Dagny exclaimed as she realized that that thing was a large black rat. Feeling a little disgusted, she tried to shoo it off, but the animal seemed to be not afraid of her at all. It paced around the plate slowly while looking at her with a pair of little black eyes.

Dagny frowned at him-for some strange reason, she was certain that it was a _him_. Unlike those hideous, nasty creatures she had seen behind a dumpster full of trash, or in the stinky sewage, this one had a proud, majestic look _._ His fur looked as smooth as satin, or silk, and his eyes, they looked friendly, with a hint of mischievous in them.

He now sat down between Dagny and the plate, grooming his whiskers lazily, and that somehow made Dagny chuckle.

The young girl hesitantly pushed that piece of bread she had just dropped to the rat. The rat squeaked softly at her, and inhaled the food.

"Oh, I see, you are a hungry little rat and you are here for food," Dagny whispered as she offered the rat more food. The little creature happily took them, before he started to carefully clean his tiny claws with his tongue.

Dagny shrugged as she picked up the pomegranate. She was never a fan of pomegranate, but this one just...gave her a compulsive desire to eat it.

The rat stopped cleaning himself the moment Dagny grabbed the pomegranate. He raised his body and squeaked quietly as he stared at Dagny.

Dagny raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you want to maybe...share it?" She asked as she put the fruit on the table, finding it beyond stupid that she was talking to a rat.

The rat put his front paws on the fruit, and rolled it away from Dagny. He peeled the hull off with his teeth slowly and carefully, until a patch of ruby red seeds were shown.

Dagny swallowed at them. They looked so sweet, so juicy. They gave her an irresistible urge. She wanted to put them into her mouth and suck out every bit of juice in them. Then, she'd feel the thick, sweet juice flowing down along her throat and into her stomach.

She reached for the fruit, a small part of her was screaming about how gross it would be to eat something that a rat had just chewed on, but strangely, that rush of hunger masked that voice.

Before she touched the pomegranate, though, the rat whipped her hand with its tail repeated until she withdrew her hand.

 _Whoa. What is wrong with me?_ Dagny though as she tapped her cheeks rapidly _. I almost ate something that a rat had just slobbered all over_.

The little creature quickly dug out one seed with his front paws and laid it on the table. He dug out another one afterwards and placed it right next to the first one. He repeated the process until there were six of them laid side by side on the table.

If Dagny hadn't realized that the rat was trying to send her a message before, she was fully aware now.

She stared at those pomegranate seeds. Under the candlelight, they looked like six pieces of red gems.

"Okay, six," Dagny murmured as she watched the rat hopping back and forth along the row of seeds. "Six...six seeds...six pomegranate seeds...pomegranate s-"

She stopped abruptly as something suddenly occurred to her.

It was one of the stories she had read in that Greek myth book that Kenzi had given her on her 8th birthday. It was a story about Persephone.

In the story, Hades was forced to release Persephone from Tartarus, but before he returned her to her mother, he offered her some pomegranate seeds. Persephone ate six of them, and they bound her to Tartarus. She had to stay here for six months each year, because she had eaten the food in Tartarus.

Dagny jumped out from the chair and covered her mouth in great shock. Her back was suddenly covered in cold sweat. "Oh my Gods..." she murmured as she stared at the pomegranate seeds. Then, her eyes moved to the rat.

"Who are you?" She murmured as she frowned at the creature.

The rat tilted his head to the side and gave her a lazy glance. Then, he went to drink all the milk. He reached for a grape, but before he ate it, he turned to the door and stood up anxiously.

A second or two later, he held the two pieces of meat between his teeth and jumped off the table swiftly like a little ninja. Then, he disappeared under a cabinet in the corner of the room.

Dagny quickly sat back and made a mess in the plate when she heard someone coming. She grabbed the pomegranate, tore a big chunk of seeds out and tossed them under the bed, just in time to see Melinoe entering the room.

"I thought someone told me that she wasn't hungry," Melinoe commented after she had seen that the plate was half empty. Something flickered in her pale eyes when she saw that at least one third of the pomegranate was gone.

"I...I guess I was hungry after all," Dagny said, shrugging. "The food was really good."

She swallowed nervously when she noticed that the black rat was now hiding him in shadows while climbing up along the sim of Melinoe's dress.

"You want some?" She offered Mel a fig, making sure that the other woman was looking at the fruit in her hand, not where the rat was at.

Melinoe smiled and took it, before she ate it slowly. "If you want more, all you have to do is ask."

Dagny nodded. "I think I'm good for now," she said simply as she grabbed a grape. She raised it to her mouth and pretended that she had eaten it, but she was really just hiding it in her palm and letting it fall into her sleeve. It was a trick she had perfected through her childhood because she had always been a picky eater and had to deal with Kenzi's clean-your-plate-or-clean-the-entire-castillo rule.

"Ummm...can I maybe get some sleep?" Dagny asked after having faked the chew and swallow part. "I'm really exhausted."

"Of course," Melinoe told her, pinching her cheek. "You have sweet, sweet dreams, okay?" She smiled slyly and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Dagny let out a deep breath and lolled in the chair, letting the grape fall out from her sleeve. Then, she saw the rat climb up into the table again. This time, he had a key in his mouth.

He placed it down on the table, and ran in circles in soft squeaks, as if he was very proud of himself.

Dagny couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle. "Who are you?" She asked in a whisper as she picked up the key.

The rat, of course, did not answer her question. She shook her head as she tiptoed to the door. She pressed her ear on it and listened to the outside carefully. After she made sure that Mel wasn't around, she opened the door slowly.

She walked into the hallway in stealth, and the rat dashed to her left with a chunk of bread in his mouth. A patch of thick fog suddenly shrouded the place, and in it the rat patiently waited for her, his eyes bright like glowing obsidian orbs.

He pulled a small piece of bread off with his claw, and tossed it to the side of the hallway, before he raised to look at Dagny.

Dangy quickly realized that the rat was telling her that she should leave some clues behind. She took out a pocket knife, and carved a tiny feather at the bottom of the wall.

Then, she stepped into the fog, and disappeared in the darkness with the mysterious rat.

* * *

 **A/N: I just want to thank everyone and your reviews. Sorry I didn't have time to write replies for them. School starts again and it's kinda crazy.**

 **Someone asked about what exactly Dagny is (is she a Pheonix, etc...), and it will be explained later (a few chapters later maybe). Right now, she's just experiencing her power for the first time. Her, Bo and Tamsin will figure it out together later.**

 **Right now, I'd say none of them has an idea of what she is (of course, Bo and Tamsin don't even know what's happening to her yet), and it'll take some time for them to figure it out,**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Acacia grabbed edge of the elevator door firmly to stop it from closing, and said to the two women inside, "do you two really have a solid idea of where you are going?"

"Yep, hell," both women replied.

"Then you do know that once you two step in there, you are on your own, right? I can't keep you safe. No one can," the elder Fae continued.

"Acacia. I've lived fourteen lives as a Valkyrie. I've delivered thousands of souls to Tartarus. I know where we are going," Tamsin told her as she played a small blade in her hand. "Now if you please close the door, we have a rodent to find."

"Her name is Dagny," Bo drawled as she shot Tamsin a cold stare. The Valkyrie simply gave her an eye roll as return.

"Fine," Acacia shook her head and withdrew her hand. "Good hunting then."

Tamsin gave her a nod. After the door closed, she pressed the button to Tartarus.

Both of them were quiet as the elevator went down. Bo grabbed the hilt of her dagger and tapped her thumb against it, while Tamsin spun a dart on her finger. Their empty hands hesitantly held together.

The elevator eventually came to a full stop at the very bottom level. Tamsin took a deep breath and checked her weapons and the items in her backpack. Then, she turned to Bo and asked, "ready?"

"Ready when you are," Bo replied, trying to make it a tease but her tone was too serious.

"Come on then," Tamsin told her. She was about to head out, but stopped and added, "stay close to me, okay?"

Bo huffed out a light laugh. "You don't have to always assume that I'm gonna fuck things up, Tamsin," she teased.

"Right, we'll see about that when you throw your ass into some stupid shit later, okay?" Tamsin smirked as she stepped out from the elevator.

Darkness immediately surrounded them. It was a darkness that the sunlight had never touched, something that would make a living person feel like all hope and happiness had been drained from them.

"Where do we start?" Bo asked as she looked around. She saw some foggy apparitions wandering about, making everything look even more gloomy.

Tamsin let out a deep breath. "Shoulda brought the Wolf instead of you," she murmured, though her tone was soft, for she was beyond grateful and comfortable that Bo was her company.

"Well...let's just assume that this is a missing persons case. We are looking for a girl, who might have talked to someone in Tartarus over the phone. Then, she took the elevator down here and now she's gone. Where would we start?" Bo asked.

"Looking for traces around the elevator first, of course," Tamsin murmured as she turned on her flashlight and started searching for clues. "If it was really Hades who had lured her down here, he must have taken her somewhere….but why would he lure her down here? What exactly does he want from her?"

"Maybe some sick version of father-daughter time?" Bo guessed. "Remember, he wanted to take Dagny away and to raise her right after she was born, because apparently I had _failed_ him. But, he hasn't appeared anywhere near her for ten years. My guess is that it means that he couldn't get his ass out from wherever he's in...and now, maybe he figured that he'd need to see her and give her that bullshit talk he had given me? Trying to convince her that she should be on his side, you know, crap like that."

"Yeah, but Dagny isn't you," Tamsin told her. "You spent years looking for him without knowing what an asshole he was. For a long time, he was just this long lost dear dad to you. He knew he'd have a chance to sway you, but Dagny? I'm sure that son of bitch knows exactly what kinda stories we are gonna tell her, especially his lies and the horrible things he had done. I don't think he'd spend time on a mission impossible."

"Well, maybe he thought Dagny would want a father, just like I had wanted one. Maybe he thought that...she'd want a father so bad that she'd fall for his tricks," Bo murmured. "It's just-"

"Psss," Tamsin interrupted her as she pointed her flashlight at the floor, and Bo saw a few drag marks along the heavy dust.

"They look fresh," she murmured as she examined them. Then, she noticed several overlapped footprints. There seemed to be three sets, a set of larger ones and two sets of smaller ones. One of the smaller ones were made by sneakers.

"Could be Dagny's," Bo said since she remembered that the young girl was wearing sneakers today.

"Probably more than just _could be_ ," Tamsin said with a heavy sigh as she picked up a small item that was lying a few feet away from the footprints. "I'm pretty sure she has these on her phone," she told Bo as she showed the brunette a little cluster of green phone charm beads.

Bo swallowed hard. "Well..." she said as she turned to glance at the elevator. Then she turned back and continued, "she got down. She came out. They met. She put up a struggle maybe? Three sets of footprints though...he could have had someone helping him maybe?"

"Maybe," Tamsin frowned and took a few pictures of the scene with her phone. Then she followed the marks on the floor-smudges, knocked over objects, footprints-until she came to a pile of broken mirror shards. Among them, there were only prints made by the sneakers.

Bo and Tamsin quickly shared a look as they wondered where the other two sets had gone, but they decided to shrug it off since Dagny was their only concern right now.

As they walked across the main hall, the trail of footprints disappeared since the floor was now covered in carpet. After they had exhaustively searched every corner of the floor they were on, they had no choice but to go down.

Following the marks that had been left behind here and there, possibly by Dagny, they came all the way down to an old concierge room. Tamsin noticed that a stop sign outside the room had been moved recently.

They found nothing interesting inside the room, other than smudged fingerprints all over the place.

"What is this place?" Bo murmured as she frowned at a huge mailbox against the wall.

"Well, if the luxury of getting mails is granted here, I'd say it's probably the private apartment section of Hades' family, or maybe his _employees_ ," Tamsin murmured after taking a glance at the mailbox. Then, she took out a plastic bag from her backpack, and gathered all the key.

"Do you even know what those are for?" Bo asked.

"Nope, but it's better to have them than not to," Tamsin smirked.

They searched outside the room again, and eventually found some footprints down along the corridor. A new set had appeared along with Dagny's.

"About your height, not as chubby," Tamsin said simply after estimating that person's height by the size of the prints.

Bo chuckled and shook her head. She took a closer look at the trails, before she said, "well I don't see much struggle here...and this wasn't Hades…do you think maybe it could be someone that offered her help?"

"Yeah, a helping hand down in this hell hole? Better pray that it doesn't cost you a leg and an arm," Tamsin commented as she followed the trail with Bo.

A while later, they arrived at a section where it looked like a run down hotel section. There were rooms on both sides with numbers beside their doors, but none of them had tenants. Unlike those rooms they had seen upstairs, everything down here looked old, but surprisingly clean.

Tamsin ducked behind the wall when she saw some light leaking through an unlatched door down the corridor to her right. She placed her index finger on her lips and gave Bo a slight head shake, before she quietly approached the room. The brunette followed her closely.

After making sure that there wasn't any danger around them, Tamsin gave the door a slight nudge and pushed it open. They were a little surprised to find a lit candle and a plate with food on the table in the middle of the room.

"It's been burning for a quite while," Bo said as she examined the amount of wax on the table and the length of the candle.

"Food is cold, and the bread's drying out," Tamsin said, "but they haven't gone bad yet...they are quite fresh...someone must be living here."

"Hades…?" Bo murmured, for that was the only person she could think of.

Before Tamsin had said anything, they both heard something coming.

"Shit," Tamsin breathed as she looked for an exit. There was none beside the door. The room was very small, and none of the cabinets were big enough to fit both of them in. Having no other choice, they quickly crawled under the bed and held their breath.

They heard someone's rapid footsteps rushing to the door. Then, that person stopped.

"Oh you must be kidding me!" A female voice came from the doorway, angry and shocked. Tamsin could see her stomping her foot, but she couldn't see her face. She had noticed that the woman was wearing a pair of leather sandals, and the style of them seemed to match the footprints she and Bo had found at the concierge room.

The woman checked the room in haste, before she stormed out. "You better run fast and far, my sweet, sweet little sister..." she singsonged as she headed down the hallway. "When I catch you, I'm gonna…."

Her last few words were too far away for either Tamsin or Bo to hear, but both women could tell from the malicious tone that it wasn't anything kind.

After making sure that the woman was gone, they came out from under the bed. Bo let out a few quiet chuckles as she brushed off some cobweb from Tamsin's hair.

Tamsin rolled her eyes, and wiped Bo's cheek with her palm. "You looked like you had just landed on some dog shit with your face, Chuckles," she said as she rubbed the corner of her sleeve against a stain on the tip of Bo's nose.

Bo laughed quietly and tucked her fingers into Tamsin's hair. She picked out a few pomegranate seeds. "Why do you have pomegranate seeds in your hair?" She frowned at those red seeds.

"I don't know, there are some under the bed? This place is full of shit, okay?" Tamsin murmured as she glanced at them.

For a brief moment, both of them had felt a rush of hunger roaring in their stomach, as if it was screaming for some pomegranate.

Bo quickly tossed the seeds away and wiped her hands on her pants. "Let's go," she murmured as she pulled Tamsin's arm gently while leading the way to the door.

"Yeah, we better," Tamsin replied after giving a last frown at those seeds. "And who the hell was that chick?"

"No idea," Bo admitted. "She said something about little sister though...do you think she meant Dagny? Do you think Dagny was in this room?"

"Well, _someone_ was in this room, but isn't anymore, and that made that chick very unhappy," Tamsin said. "Maybe she took Dagny here and locked her up, but the little rodent escaped."

"Okay, let's say in fact that it was Dagny who was in this room. Why would that woman address Daggs as her little sister? Dagny is her little sister? Who the hell is she?!"

"I certainly did not have any other kids popping out from my vag, so if she was calling Dagny her little sister, my best guess would be that she's one of Hades' offsprings," Tamsin said. "He had many, according to the myth."

"Oh great, another family reunion is about to happen," Bo grunted in a sigh.

"Come on," Tamsin told the brunette as she exited the room. "Let's find her before that bitch does."

They exited the room and searched for clues, and soon they found a small feather carved at the bottom of the wall on the hallway.

"Hey!" Bo squeezed Tamsin's arm as she examined the feather. "It's her! It's Dagny. She went this way." She pointed at the direction where the tail of the feather was facing.

Tamsin raised her eyebrows and pulled one corner of her lips into a smirk. "What you two communicate through some sorta secret drawing now?"

Bo smiled. "Yeah, sort of. It's a...distress signal thing that Kenzi and I set up for her, like...if she texts us 'feather', we'd know that she's in danger. We also taught her how to draw this, so If she ever has to leave a clue for us or something..." she explained as she ran her fingertip along the carved edges on the tiny drawing. "It's-you are her mother and you have feathers, so..."

She trailed off as she remembered Tamsin's last moment with her. She watched the blonde turn into a cloud of feathers and disappear. She watched one of them fall into baby Dagny, like a piece of the Tamsin's soul refused to leave.

It was that very moment that Bo realized that Tamsin did not want to rise, at least a part of her wasn't ready. She didn't want to leave but she had to. She had no other choice. All she had left, was a feather, a ray of light, her last and her only, a piece of her heart, something that had left a scar in Bo's heart. The feather. It stayed there, wedging into Bo's flesh. It made her bleed. It gave her that ache. It gave her that unstoppable pain. It never healed.

"Look, after we find her, you can stare as much as you want," Tamsin scrunched her nose as she snapped her fingers in front of Bo's face.

The brunette let out a rather embarrassed smile. "Let's go," she murmured before she headed down the hallway.

* * *

Standing in front of the dissecting table in Lauren's clinic, Dyson stared at the female victim's body that was placed on the table. His eyes focused on the slit wound, his lips clenched.

"You know what this means, right? I mean, if the killer is who we think it is," Lauren, who sat on a medical stool beside him, said.

"Yeah, of course," Dyson hummed, his eyebrows knotted. "It means that he's back."

They looked at each other for a while, before Lauren closed her eyes and turned away. "Okay, I guess I'll say it then," she sighed. "Should we tell Bo about this?"

Dyson pursed his lips dryly. "Of course we should. I just-is now really a good time? We don't even know for sure that it's him yet…."

"You smelled him at the crime scene, didn't you?" Lauren asked. Then, she stood up and put on a pair of gloves, before she lifted the dead body's chin slightly to give Dyson a better view at the laceration. "This wound, it also fits his signature."

"I know," Dyson replied. "We will tell her. We have to, but...maybe we should do that after we have a better idea about what he's after."

"Yeah, that's probably...a good idea," Lauren agreed. She went to the desk to grab a folder and opened it. "Mark faxed these over. Let's see if we can find something."

Dyson nodded at her, and started to read. "Her name is...was Alice Brown, divorced, mother of three. She worked as a secretary for a company called Xta transportation,whose headquarter is in that building where her body was found. It looked like she was attacked on her way out to lunch today."

"She looks like a normal Fae," Lauren said. "She's not an Ancient, not even a descendent of Hercules. She's just an ordinary person. Why would Hades target her? "

"Revenge maybe? Or he could be after something that she has...had, or knew about?" Dyson proposed two possible reasons that Hades might have targeted this woman.

Lauren shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with Bo?"

Dyson nodded, his heart heavy. "Well yeah, it surely could. He had worked pretty hard to break her ten years ago, and clearly he did not get what he wanted. And now, he's back…."

"Did she have any connection with this woman?" Lauren asked.

"I don't know. I don't recognize her, but she could," Dyson trailed off as he quickly skimmed through the files. After finding nothing interesting, he raised his head and looked at Lauren. "How's things going with you, Lauren? I don't remember seeing you at the Dal very often lately."

Lauren shrugged again. "Just busy."

"How's things going with the Morrigan?"

"Not well," Lauren replied simply.

Dyson nodded. He was about to say something else, but a beep from his phone stopped him.

A simple glance, he let out a low growl. "I gotta go," he said as he rushed to the door.

"Something's wrong?"

"There's been another murder," Dyson told her. "A male victim. His throat has been slit just like this one."

* * *

Dagny followed the rat breathlessly in the darkness. She was surprised that she had to work very hard to keep up with a creature so small.

She stopped to catch her breath after having gone through a tunnel so narrow that she had to get down on her hands and knees in order to move inside it.

 _I'm so gonna tell Mama Kenzi that a rat was trying to help me in Tartarus._ She thought while panting.

The rat waited for her while squaked impatiently, and the young girl let out a few gasps before she started to run along with him again.

She still couldn't see very far, but from the sound of the wind and the fact that she could no longer hear the echoes of herself breathing or running, she figured that she was in an open area.

A while later, she started to see some light. A cold, soft glow that floated in the darkness. They were everywhere, like fireflies, only too cold to make her feel comfortable.

She had no idea what they were, and she had no time to figure it out either. She followed the rat into a massive garden. The trees and the flowers weren't green or colorful. Everything was a dark silhouette in the dim, greenish blue light. Things that grew in there looked like a witch's crooked, bony fingers.

She entered an area surrounded by hedges-she thought they were hedges until she took a closer look at them and found out that they were actually piles of skeletons, bones and some dark, rough substance that she couldn't quite name.

She shook her head and told herself not to look into those hollow eye sockets of the skulls while focusing on following the rat closely.

It took her a while to realize that they were actually in a labyrinth. The walls of it was, of course, formed by the skeleton hedges. She ran around along the winding roads, hitting one dead end after another, but the rat seemed to always be able to figure out which way to go. It would always find a small opening that Dagny hadn't even noticed, or a piece of wall that could be slid to the side.

The labyrinth seemed to have endless number of bifurcated roads, though, and Dagny thought they must be running in circles now, but the rat led her into one new area after another.

She felt her legs were getting heavier and heavier. They were cramping, and so was the place under her left ribs. Her lungs were protesting, telling her that they had had enough Tartarus fog, and her throat felt like it had been clawed by something sharp.

After hitting another dead end, she stopped, bending forward with her hands on her knees. She panted like every breath she took would be her last breath ever.

The rat ran to her and bit the hem of her jeans. He pulled on it hard, urging her to resume their journey.

Dagny stumbled forward breathlessly, and swallowed hard. "Just...five more seconds," she begged.

The rat wasn't listening to her, though. He turned away from her with his ears raised vigilantly. He sniffed in the air, before he fled into a hole in the corner.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Dagny exclaimed as she looked for the rat in panic, but she couldn't see him.

"Where is who going?" Melinoe's voice came from behind her all of a sudden, and Dagny jolted. She turned around and pulled one leg back, her right hand raised with her push dagger.

Sitting on top of the hedge, the other woman scoffed at her softly. She looked at her with a grin on her face.

"No one," Dagny replied as she slowly took a step back.

Mel scoffed again. This time she sounded cold. "Didn't I tell you that if you disobey me again, there's gonna be an eye ripped out? How the hell did you get out from that room anyway?"

"I got skills," Dagny said, taking another step back. After carefully examined the look on the other woman's face, she continued, "look, I seriously doubt that I'd be any good for anything with one eye ripped out, so...why don't you just let me go?"

Melinoe hopped off the hedge, standing in front of Dagny now. She blocked the only exit that the young girl. "Sorry, I can't. Dad told me that I need to keep you here and make sure that you feel at home."

"People don't feel at home when they are locked up and being threatened," Dagny hissed.

"Hey, I wouldn't have to if you would just quietly stay and wait for dad," Melinoe told her as she took a step forward. "Where do you think you are going anyway? You can't get out of here. You've had so much food from Tartarus. You'll never be able to get out."

Dagny swallow hard as she swallowed back that "I didn't have any food". "I-I'll figure something out," she said. "And I'm sure they'll help, you know, my real family."

"I know," the other woman smiled slyly. "And imagine how heartbroken they'd be when they find out that they couldn't get you out? That is something I'd love to watch."

"Oh screw you," Dagny retorted as she dashed out towards a narrow opening between Mel and the walls. However, she wasn't fast enough. The other woman seized her arm and twisted it, forcing her back.

Dagny struggled, feeling that her arm was about to be ripped off. Mel's sharp nails cut into her skin, and blood oozed out.

Her blood seemed to make Melinoe excited. The elder woman let out a gasp and licked her finger tips.

"Ew, that's gross!" Dagny commented and tried to run away again, but Mel grabbed her.

"You are coming with me," Melinoe announced while forcing Dagny to follow her.

"No I am not!" Dagny refused, but couldn't free herself from that woman. She tried to pry Mel's fingers off her, but they were so tight that they felt like they had been welded into her flesh.

She was about to give up, but Mel's grip suddenly loosened.

Dagny stumbled back. Her eyes shot wide open when she saw two familiar faces that had just appeared in front of her. "Bo!" She exclaimed, overjoyed. "M-mom…."

Bo ran to her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm good," Dagny told her, her eyes staring at Tamsin. The Valkyrie was battling Melinoe now.

"You stay here, okay?" Bo ordered before she joined Tamsin to fight Melinoe. Mel turned to her and hissed before she clawed Bo's arm, and Tamsin took the chance to knock the woman down with her elbow. She wiped her bloody nose carelessly as she took a glance at Dagny. The young girl gave her a nod to tell her that she was okay.

Bo grabbed Mel and pushed her charms through, but the other woman jerked her hand away. Her sharp nails dragged out a few long, bloody trails on Bo's arm.

"This is all you got?" Melinoe said with a scoff. "I can't believe you are dad's favorite. I should be his favorite!"

"You are really...Hades' daughter?" Bo asked, her eyebrows raised.

"He hasn't even mentioned me to you? Not even once?" Melinoe exclaimed, looking devastated. Then she growled at Bo with a look so vicious that at some point Bo thought for sure lethal venom would be injected out from those eyes.

"Look, if you want to be his favorite, go ahead," Bo told her. "I am so not interested."

"Oh, I will, after I defeat you," the other woman hissed as she rose into the middle of the air. A swirl of dark energy surrounded her, her laughters ringing in their ears like needles and knives.

She darted at Bo, and Tamsin threw a boomerang at her. That weapon, however, went right through her body like it had gone through air. The next thing she knew, was the woman's slashing her hands at all three of them. Her sharp nails were like talons made of metal and ice. They clawed their skin, giving them a strong, pulsing pain.

The three of them fell down to the ground, twitching and shivering. They were all in a temporary paralysis now. Melinoe laughed as she gripped Tamsin's neck.

"Well, well," she said. "Dad's told me not to kill Bo or Dagny, but he never said I couldn't have fun with a Valkyrie. Let's start with your eyes, shall we?"

She crooked her index finger right above Tamsin's left eye, and slowly pushed it in. Tamsin let out some weak fuss, but couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't even move a single finger.

Just when she thought that the woman was about to scoop her eyeball out, the pressure on her eye suddenly disappeared. Mel groaned and grunted while fighting against something.

 _A flock of birds?_ Tamsin wondered as she squinted her eyes. Then she quickly realized that it was a cloud of large, black bats. They swarmed at Melinoe in high pitch squeaks, forcing the woman back.

A heavy fog that came out nowhere clouded the entire place quietly, veiling everything. The three of them lay there in fear and confusion as they heard Mel's hysterical laughters and angry grunts fading away.

Bo struggled to prop herself on her elbows and looked around. "What the hell just happened?" Bo asked in a slur

"I have no fucking idea," Tamsin replied, equally stunned.

The fog quickly went away. The bats were gone too, and Mel was nowhere to be seen. The three of them sat up slowly, gasping in pain.

Tamsin and Bo both checked on Dagny. They felt relieved that other than some long, bloody marks made by Mel's fingernails, they young girl was okay.

Tamsin let out a deep breath, before stared at the young girl. "When we get home, you and I are gonna have a very serious talk."

The young girl swallowed hard and lowered her head. "I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, almost sobbing now. "I shouldn't have-"

"The hell you shouldn't! What were you thinking?!" Tamsin hissed. "Why the hell did you do this?!"

Dagny bit her bottom lip hard, but couldn't stop her sobs from bursting out now. She clenched her teeth and wiped her face with her hands, while biting back her whimpers.

"Hey," Bo grabbed Tamsin's arm before the Valkyrie fully released her anger. "Let's just get her outta here first, okay? We'll talk about shoulds and shouldn'ts when we get home."

"Fine, whatever," Tamsin rolled her eyes and stood up, still feeling a bit pins and needles on her legs. She took a deep breath and pressed her back against the hedge, as she looked around for a way out.

Dagny quickly stood up too, almost falling right back down since her legs felt so sore. When she saw a pair of shining blacks in a pit under the hedge, though, she exclaimed excitedly, "hey! You are back!"

Both Bo and Tamsin frowned at a rat that had appeared in front of them. He seemed to be happy to see them as he ran in circles in front of Dagny with his tail straight like a flag pole.

Then, he took a swift leap and led the way. Dagny told the other two women to follow him, before she darted out hurriedly.

Tamsin and Bo shared a look and shrugged at each other as they followed the young girl cautiously.

The road became narrower and narrower, to the point that they had to squeeze their bodies through sideways. At one point Bo thought she'd be stuck between two walls forever with the air in her lungs slowly being forced out, but when she had finally gone through, she realized that they were all standing in a small open area inside the labyrinth.

There was a fountain there. It looked like it had been abandoned since the start of time. The beautiful sculpture in the middle was now covered in dust and cobwebs. A deep crack on its neck made it look like it had been beheaded.

The rat jumped into the fountain and hopped onto the sculpture. He climbed up and eventually stopped at the very top of it. He looked around while sniffing, like he had a hard time deciding which of the three exits was the right one to take.

Tamsin took the time for a short break. She glanced at Dagny, who sat down beside Bo instead of her. The young girl didn't even dare to look back at her. Her light eyes were full of guilt. It made Tamsin's heart ache, and that pain somehow gave her an uncontrollable anger.

"Hey, I think he figured it out," Bo said as she pointed at the rat, who now excitedly danced in front of them. Then, it ran towards the exit to their left.

Tamsin nodded and took a few deep breaths. She grabbed Dagny's arm and pulled her to follow, but the young girl didn't move.

"Hey, come on," Tamsin urged impatiently, but stopped when she noticed that Dagny was shaking hard.

The young girl groaned, her teeth clenched and her arms wrapped around herself. She bit back a painful cry, before she mumbled in a broken voice, "what's...happening to me…?"

"What's going on?" Bo asked as she frowned at her little sister. She gasped in shock when she saw the young girl's hair color suddenly turned from blonde to black.

"What the hell?" Tamsin exclaimed as she cupped Dagny's face to take a closer look. She was shocked to find that those light blue eyes had turned bloody red.

Dagny's skin now became pale, as if blood had been flushed out from her body all of a sudden. She shook hard in Tamsin's arms, crying out in pain now.

"Shit!" Tamsin cursed as she held the girl in her arms tightly to stop her from hurting herself.

"What's going on? What happened to her?" Bo asked as she rushed over to hold Dagny's hand.

Tamsin tested Dagny's pulse and temperature, before she turned to Bo and answered, "I think she might be experiencing her Fae power. Shit, I think she's changing into her true form right now."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"She's what now?" Bo murmured as she frowned at the young girl.

Dagny's face was now covered in shadows, but it didn't change its appearance into a skeleton form like Tamsin's would. The shadows gave her a peculiar charm, making it almost impossible for anyone to turn their eyes away from her. But, there was definitely something terrifying in that beauty. For a moment, Bo feared that if she stared at the young girl long enough, Dagny could take her soul away permanently.

"What do you mean she's changing into her true form? She doesn't-she doesn't look like a Valkyrie to me at all," Bo pointed out while taking a step back.

"No one has ever said that she is definitely going to be a Valkyrie," Tamsin said impatiently. "You don't always end up being the exact type of Fae as your parents, okay?"

"If she's not a Valkyrie, what is she?" Bo asked hesitantly, a little surprised because not only her, but almost everyone else had believed that Dagny would for sure be a Valkyrie when she grew up.

Dagny suddenly broke loose from Tamsin's arms, causing their conversation to pause. Bo had to catch her and held her firmly.

She quickly pushed some charms through, and that seemed to have worked. Dagny inhaled sharply and collapsed in her arms, groaning, shaking.

Tamsin let out a frustrated sigh. She impatiently combed her fingers through her hair as she closely watched Dagny's face. When she saw that the shadow that had been looming over the young girl's face was gone momentarily, she scoffed.

Dagny seemed to have calmed down in Bo's arms, and that somehow made Tamsin upset. Throwing her hands into the air hard, the Valkyrie finally decided to answer Bo's question. "I don't know, okay? Do you think I know everything or something?"

The sudden, bursting anger in the Valkyrie's voice startled both of them. Provoked, Bo stared back at Tamsin. "Hey, did I say that you know everything? I was just asking a damn question, Tamsin! If she's not a Valkyrie, what the hell is she?"

"I said I don't know. Did you not hear that?" the Valkyrie hissed. She grabbed Dagny's shoulder and pulled her out from Bo's arms. She examined the young girl again carefully. When she saw Bo's concerned look, she scoffed. "Why is it any of your business anyway? Whatever she is, it surely doesn't have anything to do with you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bo hissed and stood up, her hands fisted and her chest heaving.

Tamsin shrugged. "Didn't you dump her to Kenzi the second you got her?"

"Hey! I asked Kenzi to take care of her, because I had a dangerous job," Bo argued. "Hiding her among the humans would be the best thing to do. What you think I can bottle feed her with my left hand while I fight the Orcs with my right?"

Tamsin scoffed. "Please, Bo, we both know that you can't actually fight the Orcs, not even without a baby in your hand. The real reason that you gave her to Kenzi, was because you can't take responsibility. You don't know what that is, period."

"That is not true," Bo bit out as a bitter rush of anger grilled her heart.

Tamsin let out a sneer through her nose. "Just look at yourself, Bo. Just look how you've whined for everyone to like you, but, everyone seemed to have left you for some reason. What could that reason be, hmmm? Oh yes, that's right, the reason is, no one can stand you. You are stupid, irresponsible and weak."

"I am not weak!" Bo growled, feeling Tamsin's words stabbing into her chest like knives. She fisted her hand tightly and smashed it into the hedge. The pain from the impact enraged her more, and that sudden rush of frustration almost suffocated her. "I am not weak!"

"Yes you are, Bo. You want to have everyone love you so desperately that you were willing to live your dear father-daughter reunion dream even if you knew that you dear daddy was nothing but a fucking asshole! You could have taken care of him when you had the chance, but no, you just had to let him into your life so he could ruin everyone else's. Aife and Trick, their deaths were on you," Tamsin said coldly.

"Those were on me, huh?" Bo said in a dangerously low voice. "Tamsin, none of those would have happened if you hadn't taken his offer. No one would have died, if you hadn't delivered me to him!"

That pulse of mad rage grew stronger and stronger inside Bo's chest. The thought of Aife and Trick's death reduced to an unbearable sorrow which plagued her mind. The bitter anger took over control of her voice and her tongue, encouraging her to say things that she'd regret later.

"It is all on _you_ , Tamsin," Bo accused as she jabbed the Valkyrie's chest with her index finger. "And if you-"

Dagny interrupted their conversation with a loud, agonizing cry. She burst out from Tamsin's arms again, and collapsed on the ground. She curled up while biting back her groans; blood seeped through her clothes on her back.

Tamsin shook her head and rushed to Dagny. "Hey," she tapped the young girl's face impatiently. "Hey!"

"Just...leave me alone!" Dagny bit out a loud hiss and struggled against Tamsin's arms. "Leave me alone!"

Bo rolled her eyes and tucked her arms under Dagny's. She pulled the girl away from Tamsin a little to sit her up so the Valkyrie could examine her bleeding back.

Tamsin lifted Dagny's t-shirt slowly to check her back. There, she saw two bleeding spots under the young girl's shoulder blades. She pressed her fingertips against them to see if there were any injuries, but there seemed to be none. The only thing that was abnormal was that Dagny's skin felt like it was burning.

"Hey, Daggs, calm down," Bo persuaded as she cupped the young girl's face. "It's okay. You are gonna be okay-"

"No I am not!" Dagny yelled and threw Bo's hands away. "I will never be okay!"

"You are just experiencing your power for the first time," Bo continued. "Everything's gonna be okay. You are gonna be fine."

"When was I ever okay, Bo?! When was I ever _fine_?" Dagny screamed. "My father raped my mother, and my mother died because of me! I had this damn handprint on me like I'm some sort of branded cow and I'm trapped in Tartarus! Which part of that sounds okay to you?!"

"Daggs," Bo warned in a growl. "You need to stop."

"I need to stop? Stop what? Stop speaking out the obvious?" Dagny snarled, her eyes burning like boiled blood. Shadows once again covered her face. "Let's face it! I shouldn't have existed. I shouldn't have been born. The only reason I lived is because my mother had been too much of a coward to do the right thing!"

Bo cut her off by giving her a hard slap on her face. "Don't ever talk about her like that," she hissed while letting out a heavy breath slowly and painful. "Don't."

Dagny paused, and then she tilted her head to the side as she stared at Bo with those bright red eyes. Letting out a cold scoff, she drawled, "oh, now you care? Did you care about her when you broke her heart? Did you care about her when she died right in front of you?"

"Enough," Tamsin commanded as she gripped Dagny's chin and forced the young girl to turn to look at her. "You need to stop this bullshit, before I fucking make you."

"Oh, okay. Are you gonna give me some lame mother-daughter talk now, or are you just gonna beat me until I'm on my knees and crying?" Dagny mocked. "You've been gone for ten years and you've never been in my life for a single day. Now you want to be a mother? Are you even capable of being one? I don't think so."

Bo growled in great frustration as she forced her charms into Dagny's skin, but this time it didn't seem to be working at all. The young girl once again escaped from them and stumbled around the fountain. The back of her t-shirt was now drenched in blood.

"You get back here, you fucking little brat!" Tamsin commanded loudly, waving her arms at Dagny while trying to catch her.

"Hey, why don't you tune down that bossy, bitchy attitude a little?" Bo commented while crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Why can't you try to be nice to someone, for once? She's your daughter, Tamsin."

"You are damn right, Bo," Tamsin bit out. "She's my daughter, my responsibility!"

"And you think saying that out loud would actually make it happen?" Bo retorted. "Here's the ugly truth, Tamsin. She's closer to any one of us than to you, because we all care about her more than you do."

"You? You care about her?" Tamsin laughed coldly. "No, you don't, Bo. You never cared her. You never cared about anyone. You pretended that you cared, just so you can feel less guilty about the shit you put everyone through."

Bo squeezed a growl through her clenched teeth, feeling the fury tearing her heart apart now. She aggressively stepped forward and stared back at Tamsin like an angry bull staring at a waving red cape. "If this is about you and me, let me tell you one last time. I do care about you, Tamsin. It wasn't my fault that you acted like a 14 year old girl who went nuts because she couldn't date her crush."

"I was the one to blame?!" Tamsin yelled as she pushed Bo on her shoulder hard, causing the brunette to stumble back. She grabbed Bo's collar and shoved her away. "Blame me all you want, Bo, but the truth was that you lost Kenzi and you were too much of a fucking coward to get back with your old lovers, so you used me, because I was fucking _convenient_!"

"Hey, did you hear me promising you a relationship when we slept together?" Bo yanked Tamsin's hands away forcefully. She gave the Valkyrie a hard push in her chest in return. "It wasn't my fucking fault that you thought sleeping with a Succubus meant that we were together!"

"Oh we did much more than just sleeping together, Bo, and you know that," Tamsin smirked. "You were too lonely, and you were too weak. You wanted some company and you wanted someone to be with you, but the second you realized that it might turn into something serious, you ran like a fucking coward."

"Well, I might have considered something more, if you hadn't been so eagerly throwing yourself at me all the time," Bo crossed her arms in front of her chest. She let out a sneer through her clenched teeth, and added, "besides, it was certainly not my fault that you slept with Hades. I bet he didn't even have to try very hard. The second he showed up in my form, you just threw yourself at him, didn't you?"

The moment those words left her mouth, her heart squeezed in great anguish as if it was about to stop. She saw the pain swirling in Tamsin's light eyes, and she could no longer breathe.

She wanted to stop, and a voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her and telling her to stop right now, but she just felt this urge inside her. It was pushing her to the edge. It was fueling her anger, an anger that had come from nowhere. She had no idea why she was so mad, or what she was mad at. She just was.

The next thing she knew, was Tamsin darted at her in a loud battle cry. The Valkyrie grabbed her shoulder and shoved her to the wall, before she revealed her true form.

Her faces had turned into a skull in shadows, and her power of doubt seized Bo's brain. Bo fought it while placing her hand on Tamsin's neck. She tightened her fingers, feeling the thirst bubbling in her veins now. It was a thirst for blood, revenge, death and more, a thirst that she couldn't resist. She just wanted to choke the person in front of her. She wanted to hear Tamsin's screams and cries die in her throat, and she wanted to see life fading away from those blue eyes.

An evil grin appeared on Bo's face, and her eyes turned bright blue. Her hunger was roaring inside, and she had no intention to hold it back.

She opened her lips and inhaled, forcing the Valkyrie's Chi out ruthlessly. She saw that look of horror fleeting across Tamsin's face, and she just felt so satisfied.

 _More. More. More._ She heard her heart scream, and she swallowed all those precious Chi. The blue stream went down her throat so fast that it almost choked her.

Tamsin's Chi eventually sank into her stomach and turned into a warm tickle. It fluttered softly and rippled warmly inside Bo, and Bo's eyes suddenly shot wide open.

She let out a few short gasps while loosening her grip on Tamsin's neck. Then, she fell back as her heart trembling in fear.

 _What just happened?_ Bo asked herself as she watched Tamsin collapsing on the ground. There was a bruise on the Valkyrie's neck, and it was made by her hands. Tamsin was gasping like every breath was her last.

The thought of almost having killed Tamsin scared Bo so much that for a second or two she couldn't move at all. Covered in her cold sweat, Bo suddenly noticed that the roaring anger and the bitterness inside her was gone. That pounding headache was gone too, a headache which she hadn't even been aware of just a minute ago.

She remembered the things she had said to Tamsin, and she covered her mouth with her shivering hand. How could she have said such horrible things? How? She meant none of them.

"Tamsin..." Bo called as she reached to hold the Valkyrie's hand, but Tamsin hissed at her and yanked her hand away. Those light eyes were filled with rage, rage towards her.

Bo was knocked down, and then straddled. Tamsin's hands gripped her neck, choking her.

"Time for your last words, Bo," Tamsin whispered to her.

"Tamsin, what are you doing?" Bo gagged as she grabbed Tamsin's wrists. "You need to stop this. Tamsin!"

"You can't tell me what to do, Bo. I'm so tired of your bullshit," Tamsin replied as tightened her grip. Her face was switching between her true form and her normal form, making her look like the worst nightmare anyone could ever have.

"Listen to me. Something's...wrong, and...you need to...stop," Bo explained. She tried to pry those fingers off her neck, but they wouldn't budge at all. She had no choice but to take Tamsin's Chi again, and the Valkyrie struggled to break the Chi sucking while stumbling back.

Pulling her short sword out, Tamsin pounced at Bo after she had caught her breath, and Bo barely dodged her blade.

"You have to listen to me, Tamsin! Something's wrong with...us! This isn't you!" Bo said as she ran away from Tamsin's attacks.

"Don't say it like you know me well," Tamsin replied as she cornered Bo. She slashed her sword at Bo, and Bo jerked to the side, but she wasn't fast enough. A long wound appeared on her thigh, making her cry out in pain.

"No, seriously!" Bo yelled as she shoved Tamsin away with her elbow. She quickly glanced at Dagny, who was lying beside the fountain like a dead body, before she added, "Tamsin, just listen to me and put down your damn sword! Something's controlling your mind, and you have to fight it!"

Tamsin answered her by dashing at her and stabbing her. Bo stepped back, causing the blade to penetrate her left forearm.

 _Shit. What is going on?_ She wondered while grabbing Tamsin's arm to stop the blonde from attacking her again.

They battled against each other, falling on the ground again. Bo glanced at Tamsin's lips and wondered if she should take her Chi again to weaken her, but she feared that she had already taken too much and one more Chi draw would hurt Tamsin, or worse, kill her.

When the idea of Chi sucking entered Bo's mind, something else had suddenly occurred to her.

She had just been as deranged as Tamsin was right now, until she took her Chi. Did that mean that Tamsin's Chi somehow healed her from whatever it was that caused her to go crazy?

Bo took a deep breath and stared at Tamsin. She held the Valkyrie's arm firmly and leaned in, before she breathed Chi back into the blonde's lips.

She kept giving Tamsin the orange energy, until Tamsin staggered back in loud gasps and curses.

Bo lolled, sitting against the hedge while forcing air into her lungs. She wiped her cheek lazily as she stared into Tamsin's eyes. Anger no long burnt in them, and that gave her a huge relief.

Tamsin looked back at Bo, too shocked to do anything at first. Then, she finally noticed those deep cuts on Bo's body. Confused, she looked down at her own hands.

There, she saw her sword coated in fresh blood. The crimson liquid was still dripping off along the edge of the blade.

"What the...hell..." she murmured. A terrified look appeared on her face. She threw her sword away.

Bo shook her head breathlessly. "We were trying to kill each other," she explained. "I don't know...something's just…."

Tamsin shook her head and quickly went to check on Bo's injuries. She shivered when she realized how deep that cut was on Bo's thigh.

She licked her lips before she offered, "I think you should probably feed."

Bo nodded. She inched forward, but paused there right before their lips touched. The sudden awkwardness of having to kiss Tamsin again after all the things that had happened between them made her swallow hard.

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips on Tamsin's lightly. Quickly pulling back, she drew Tamsin's Chi out as gentle as she could. The warm energy healed her instantly, making her feel invincible again.

She broke the feeding kiss when a sudden, warm rush fluttered in her chest. It made her throat dry again, and her breath short. "Thanks," she whispered, her eyes looking down at the ground.

Tamsin gave her a nod and a smile, before she went to check on Dagny. The young girl had passed out, but she looked stable.

Bo stood up and took a deep breath. "What did just happen?"

"I have no fucking idea," Tamsin replied, shaking her head. She glanced at Bo, still a little scared. "If you weren't a Succubus, we would have killed each other."

Bo nodded while huffing out a relieved laugh. "We need to-"

She was cut off by a sudden, loud gasp coming from Dagny. The young girl's eyes shot open as she arched away from the ground hard. Then she fought to get away from them and hissed at them.

"If you can hold her still, I can give her some Chi. Maybe it'll help her," Bo told Tamsin and Tamsin nodded.

"Stay away from me," Dagny hissed at them and stepped back in a defensive stance. She looked at Bo, and then Tamsin, her red eyes merciless and cold.

Tamsin tried to grab the young girl, but the moment she got close to her she was pushed back forcefully by a strong, invisible force.

"Holy...shit," she murmured, gaping at a stream of scarlet energy that had just appeared in the air.

Dagny slowly raised her right hand, and the energy quickly gathered around her fingers in swirls. It quietly formed a shape of something. It was something long and crooked, but the contour of it was too vague for Tamsin or Bo to tell what it was.

Dagny looked at Bo in cold sneers. She tilted her head slightly to the side and gave Bo a smile that chilled the Succubus to her bones. Then, she swung the crooked object at Bo.

Bo was caught of guard, and the thing hit her arm. She yelled in pain and was forced back by the hard blow.

It did not leave any injury on her arm. It didn't even bruise her, but it hurt like the flesh on her arm was being torn off. She also felt as if something had entered her bloodstream and drained her, making her feel hopeless and depressed.

"What the hell is that?!" Tamsin used her backpack as a shield as she pulled Bo behind her.

"I have no idea but it fucking hurts!" Bo groaned as she sprinted away with Tamsin to avoid being hit by Dagny again.

"Alright, I'm gonna distract her, and you grab her whenever you can, okay?" Tamsin said simply, before she ran to the other side of the fountain and taunted Dagny.

Dagny came at her, and turned her back to Bo. The brunette leaped out from behind the wall and dashed to the girl.

Dagny laughed and simply threw her weapon over her head. She used it as a throwing hook and attacked Bo from above, and Bo had to dodge it by rolling away on the ground.

The young girl laughed as she raised her weapon at Bo again. Before she made her attack, though, Tamsin grabbed her from behind and forced her back.

Bo tried to give Dagny some Chi, but Dagny kicked her away.

"Let go of me! You are not my mother!" Dagny yelled. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?! Why did you have to die for me? Why?!"

Tamsin growled and tightened her arms. "Bo, hurry," she demanded.

Bo grabbed Dagny's arms and pushed a lot of charms into the young girl's body. Dagny paused, and Bo took the chance to breathe some Chi to her.

The young girl struggled at first, but eventually she relaxed. In pants and gasps, her body softened. The scarlet object in her hand was gone. Her hair and her eyes slowly returned normal.

She looked at Bo, a little scared and shocked. Then, she snuggled into Bo's arms and closed her eyes.

"Fucking..." Tamsin cursed and sprawled on the ground. "I should never have kids."

Bo huffed out a relieved chuckle. She gently stroked Dagny's hair and softly whispered, "hey, Daggs, it's okay. It's okay."

The young girl looked at her with those beautiful but confused blue eyes. Then, she raised to look around at everything, especially her worn out mother. "What...happened?" She asked hesitantly. "I remember I was yelling something and attacking you guys...was that all real?"

"Oh that was fucking real," Tamsin growled. "You were yelling, crying and bullshitting like crazy."

"Tamsin, you may want to ummm...watch your language," Bo reminded her.

"Whatever..." Tamsin shrugged while rolling her eyes.

Bo chuckled and hugged Dagny again. "Don't listen to her," she said. "It was just you experiencing your power for the first time. You are alright."

"That was my power?" Dagny frowned as she looked down at her hands. She could still feel the strange energy running in her veins like electric currents. The residue of her power danced on her skin lazily like winter rain drops. She also noticed that her back was very sore. "For real?"

"Yeah, it was. Your hair color changed, and your eyes were red...and you had this...I don't what it was but you had a weapon in your hand," Bo explained as she pinched Dagny's nose gently. Dagny nodded. Then she frowned at Bo and said, "wait, I thought-Valkyries don't have red eyes and dark hair, do they?"

"No they don't," Bo answered honestly. "I know that you've always thought that you'd be a Valkyrie but...you are probably not a Valkyrie, Daggs."  
"What?!" The young girl exclaimed in disappointment. "I'm not a Valkyrie?! How is it possible? I mean, my mom is a Valkyrie! You are a Valkyrie if your mother is one, right?"

"It doesn't always work like that," Tamsin said in a low voice. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "What's so great of being a Valkyrie anyway?"

"Valkyries have wings, and they are really badass," Dagny argued. "They can take down an entire army with a single eye blink."

"Yeah, they also can go bald if they don't use their power carefully," Tamsin grunted.

Dagny bit her bottom lip and furrowed her eyebrows. "If I am not a Valkyrie, what am I?" She pouted.

"That we don't know," Bo told her as she cupped Dagny's face, "but we'll figure it out together, I promise."

"Don't worry," Tamsin drawled. "No matter what you are, you will have one thing: wings."

"I will?!" Dagny exclaimed excitedly. "How do you know? Did my wings come out when I was...attacking you guys?"

"No," Tamsin rolled her eyes. Then she threw her hand languishly at Dagny's back. "You got two bleeding spots on your back. I'm pretty sure those are growth spots for wings."

Dagny grinned at that answer as she squeezed Bo's hand in excitement. Bo smiled back at the young girl and said,"the first thing we are gonna do after we get you outta here, is to figure out what exactly you are and how you should deal with your power surges, okay?"

Dagny nodded happily, but a second or two later, the blooming grin on her face was gone. She lowered her head and gripped a corner of Bo's sleeve firmly. "What if..." she hesitantly said, "what if I can't get out?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bo frowned.

The young girl paused for a long time, almost starting to sob again. She bit back her tears, and eventually said, "when...when he left, I tried to get back into the elevator, but I couldn't. It was like the elevator was rejecting me or something…."

Tamsin and Bo quickly exchanged a worried look. The Valkyrie sat up and held Dagny's shoulder. Staring at her daughter, she asked,"him as Hades?"

After getting a nod from the scared girl, Tamsin clenched her lips. "What exactly happened?" Dagny bit her bottom lip. "I...ummm...I heard this phone ringing in Valhalla and I picked it up. I was just-a woman told me that her name was Persephone and that her needed help to free her daughter from Tartarus."

"Persephone?" Bo frowned hard.

"No, it wasn't really her," Dagny said in sobs. "It was Hades taking her form, but I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know it was him!"

"It wasn't your fault," Bo told her softly as she tucked the young girl's sweaty hair behind her ear. "That's what he does."

"I was such an idiot, Bo" Dagny whimpered. "I gave him the Helskor, and now he's gone!"

Tamsin and Bo shared a heavy look. The Valkyrie shook her head afterwards. "The Helskor, of course," she murmured. "The one thing in the world that would free him from here and allow him to travel anywhere he wants."

"I'm so sorry. I should have told you, but he told me not to," Dagny wiped her tears off her cheeks with her hands messily.

Tamsin sighed. "So he has the shoes. It's not the end of the world," she said simply.

"Yeah, we are gonna face him, one way of the other. We'll deal with him later," Bo told Dagny, and the young girl hesitantly nodded.

"I've had enough of this Tartarus crap," Tamsin murmured as she organized her things. "Let's get outta here, shall we?"

"But, I can't. I couldn't get into the elevator, I-what if I'm trapped down here forever?" Dagny mumbled in fear.

"We'll figure something out," Tamsin said while checking her weapons and the items in her backpack. Then, she tied her hair back into a neat bun.

"Hey!" Dagny suddenly exclaimed when the rat darted out from a hole on the ground. The little creature sniffed the air while dancing around Dagny's feet.

"I think this little guy is taking us to somewhere, or someone," Tamsin whispered to Bo.

"Friend? Or Foe?" Bo whispered back as she held the hilt of her dagger firmly while following the rat closely.

"Foe until proven otherwise," Tamsin replied simply and squeezed the strap of her backpack.

* * *

 **A/N: this is an intense chapter. I will explain why they acted this way later, and they were about to find out a lot of truth about themselves, and most importantly, the truth about Tamsin's return. The answer to what Dagny is, though, would probably take longer, since right now they are focusing on bringing her out of Tartarus.**

 **Meanwhile, Dyson, Mark and Lauren were working on the cases, and it's gonna be covered in next few chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

An hour after having gotten Mark's message, Dyson arrived at the crime scene-an apartment complex on the other side of the town.

He smelled the fresh blood the moment he entered the community. The metallic scent permeated the air, almost making him feel sick. He followed it to a three story apartment building.

Several police cars parked outside the building. The fellow officers were already interviewing witnesses. The entrance of the building was sealed by the yellow crime scene tape.

Dyson passed by a shaking woman who was answering questions from a detective. He glanced at the small, curious crowd gathering outside the building while inhaling the air. He smelled all kinds of things, but there wasn't a trace of Hades.

He lifted the tape and went in. The smell of fresh blood became too thick for him to breathe. He let out a low growl unintentionally and bared a few of his teeth at it. Then, he cleared his throat to force his Wolf back, and went upstairs.

The door to the apartment on the second floor was wide open, and Dyson rushed towards it. He almost ran into a crime scene woman who was carrying a box of evidence in a hurry. After having apologized, he entered the room.

A dead body of a mid-aged male was lying in the middle of the living room, right beside the Ikea coffee table. Soaked in blood, the beige rug under the body had become crimson. The scarlet trail sprayed all over the table, the couch that was behind it, and the all that was behind the couch.

Dyson didn't even have to take a closer look at the body to see the long, clean laceration on the throat.

Standing in the middle of the room, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Among smells from the blood, the kitchen grease, the dirty laundry and the mold under the sink, he caught a trace of that familiar smell. It was a mix of a rare brand cologne, a hint of blood and the filthy, heavy smell of something that had been in the darkness for way too long. It was the smell of Hades.

He gave Mark a slight nod, and the younger Fae came to him while acting like there was nothing out of ordinary.

"Can you smell him now?" Dyson asked in a whisper.

Mark nodded. "Strange, though," he murmured. "I don't smell him anywhere outside the room. It seems that he just appeared out of nowhere."

Dyson furrowed his eyebrows at the dead body. "ID'ed the victim yet?"

"Yeah, found his wallet on the counter," Mark said as he picked up the victim's wallet and showed it to Dyson. "The name is Joshua Jones."

Dyson nodded while taking a look at the guy's driver license. Then, he checked the guy's messy kitchen counter. There, he found a stack of unopened spam mails, the dead guy's phone, keys, and a work badge.

"He worked for the state early intervention program, a case coordinator or something," he announced after examining the badge.

Putting the badge down, he briefly examined the room. He paid special attention to all the entrances and exits, before he said, "no signs of forced entry."

Mark shook his head while staring at the victim's body. "Nope," he said. Then, he pointed at a knocked over floor lamp, and a laptop that had been dropped on the floor. "He did put up a fight, though."

"Any connections between the victims?" Dyson asked while checking the dead body. He found nothing interesting on or near it.

"No connections known so far, but since both victims were Fae, it's possible that they might know each other a long time ago or something."

"Hades is after something," Dyson commented. "Whatever he is after, these two people knew something about it."

"What do you think he's after?"

"Something that might help him with his evil plan for sure," Dyson said. "Whatever it is, we can not let him have it."

* * *

With the help of the rat, Bo, Tamsin and Dagny exited the labyrinth after hours of running around in it. They entered a dark tunnel and kept walking for a while, before they decided to take a break.

Tamsin sat down against the stone wall, gasping desperately for air. She fumbled with the things in her backpack, before she took out her flashlight and turned it on.

The soft glow gave her a little comfort. She pulled the collar of her t-shirt rapidly to create some airflow to bring her body temperature down.

Rubbing her other hand on her cramping legs, Tamsin took a glance at Bo, and then her daughter. They were both as exhausted as she was, gasping like each breath was the last breath they'd ever have.

Tamsin closed her eyes and threw her head back. She lolled there, listening to her own heartbeat in her ears. Air was forced down into her protesting lungs, but it didn't make her feel any better at all. It seemed that her body had had enough of Tartarus air, and it was about to give up.

After a while, Tamsin pried her eyes open and gave Dagny a glance. The young girl chose to stay away from her and sit right next to Bo instead. Her guilt covered face made Tamsin feel more frustrated and irritated.

She wanted to comfort Dagny, or at least say something nice, but everything she was about to speak, angry words or cold sarcasm would swirl on the tip of her tongue.

She knew it wasn't Dagny's fault. A 10 year old probably hadn't yet grasped the idea of a trap. Hell, how could Dagny have known? She herself had lived for thousands years, and yet she fell for the same lame trick 10 years ago. Though, it was really hard for her not to yell "had you not been so stupid, none of us wouldn't have been through this shit ever."

She let out a deep sigh and swallowed down all those hard words. Pulling her bag over, she took out a water bottle and tossed it to Dagny.

The young girl caught it clumsily and took a few sips, before she handed it to Bo. The Succubus gulped some water and returned the bottle to Tamsin.

Tamsin tilted her head back and took a swig. The cold liquid soothed her throat but made her stomach clench. She put the cap back and tucked the bottle into her bag, before she relaxed her muscles and went quiet again.

"I wonder how much further is the...whatever or whoever that is we are about to see," Bo murmured in a low voice as she looked at the rat. The little creature casually lay there on his back while cleaning his whiskers noisily.

"Who knows," Tamsin grumbled in a slur, closing her eyes again.

Bo sighed and stretched her legs out. Then, she let Dagny lie down and rest her head on her lap. The young girl was so worn out, that she fell asleep in seconds.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Great..."

"She's just too tired, scared and everything," Bo explained. "She just needs a little rest."

Tamsin shook her head and shrugged. "Fine, take her time," she murmured.

Tilting her head back, she took a deep breath. The hint of despair in the air, which had come from nowhere, made her just want to smash things against other things.

She swallowed hard before she straightened her body. When she noticed Bo's stare, she looked at the brunette lazily and murmured, "what?"

"She didn't mean it, you know," Bo said softly after nervously licking her bottom lip.

"Huh? Who didn't mean what?"

"The things Dagny said. She didn't mean it," Bo explained while stroking Dagny's hair gently.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Do I look like I care?"

"Well, those things are kinda...mean," Bo said after carefully choosing the word "mean".

Tamsin shrugged. "She's allowed to have whatever opinion she wants to have, including opinions about me."

"Tamsin..." Bo sighed, but the Valkyrie waved her hand at her, telling her that she no longer wanted to continue the conversation.

Bo paused, tasting the awkwardness in the air now. The darkness and the silence made her feel like her skin was itching, like it was covered in ants or spiders or something. She scratched her stomach uncomfortably, before she noticed that a patch of thick fog had just appeared.

The fog embraced everything into its veil quietly. The light of the flashlight became a bright blur. Things that were around her were now hidden in the fog.

Bo rubbed her eyes and yawned. A sudden urge of wanting to go to sleep made her frown. She pinched herself hard while concentrating on the susurrus murmurs that was in the fog, but they only made her eyelids heavier.

She yawned again, and let out a dreamy groan, before she slipped into her dreams.

Before the taste of the thick fog suffocated her, Bo inhaled hard and opened her eyes.

She coughed and looked around. Everything was blurred in the fog. She squirmed to sit up straight, and noticed something.

Dagny was gone. She was supposed to be lying there with her head resting on her lap, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Daggs?" Bo murmured as she searched for the young girl, but other than her own backpack, she found nothing and no one around her.

"Hey, Tamsin," she murmured as she stood up and rushed to where Tamsin was sitting. "Where did Da-"

She stopped abruptly when she discovered that Tamsin was no longer sitting across the dark tunnel. Her backpack was gone, too, together with the lit flashlight.

"Tamsin?" Bo raised her voice as she looked around. "Daggs?"

No one answered her but the wet, weeping breeze.

"Tamsin, Dagny!" Bo called. "Where are you guys?"

She looked for the other two women while walking along the tunnel. The moment she exited it, the fog suddenly disappeared.

She found herself in an abandoned garden, and that surprised her because she had thought she'd return to the labyrinth again. She looked back, and the tunnel she had just exited was gone too. Instead, there was a tall, rusty gate behind her. It was closed.

She carefully approached the gate, and pulled it hard. It wouldn't open, but made a lot of squeaky noise. The dead leaves of the vines that covered the gate shivered in the cold wind, revealing an owl embellishment above the lock.

 _Okay. This is weird. Where did the damn labyrinth go? Where am I?_ Bo thought as she looked around.

She saw a few trees around her. They were all crooked and naked. Behind them, there were old, cracked statues. One of them was tall and bulky male. He was wearing a cape that basically covered every inch of his body, and the upper part of his face. The only part that Bo could see was his beautiful jaw and clenched lips. He was carrying some sort of weapon on his back, a giant sword maybe, but it only had parts left, and Bo could only make out the contour of the hilt.

Beside him, there were a female statue. She had most of her body exposed and was wearing a wreath that was made of delicate stone flowers. Bo noticed some empty sockets in the centers of the flowers. She figured that there had been some sort of decorations there, but they were all gone now.

Behind them, there were a group of statues with nothing but their bases left. The style of them, though, reminded Bo those ancient Greek sculptures she had seen when travelling to Greece.

Some light footsteps came from behind her, and she spun around while pulling out her dagger.

Through the fluttering leaves, the gnarled branches and the shadows, she saw a silhouette of a person moving across the garden and ducking behind a tree.

"Who's there?!" She asked loudly and held her dagger tight. "Show yourself!"

No one answered her, but she could swear that she heard some kids giggling afar.

Approaching the tree in great caution, Bo bit her bottom lip to stop her heart from bursting out from her throat. She could see someone standing behind the tree, watching her.

"Come on, don't be such a coward," she shouted. "At least let me see your sorry face before I kick your ass!"

That person didn't move, nor did they say anything. Bo growled and dashed at them, but cursed when she realized that there was no one but a lifelike statue behind the tree.

 _Huh_. She frowned, for she could swear that she had seen it moving, but then she figured that it was entirely possible that she had mistaken the statue for a real person, since it looked too real to be something that was sculpted from a piece of rock.

It was a statue of a female. She was in a dress, and unlike all the other statues, her dress seemed to be of a very modern style. Its bodice was covered in a layer of small, shimmering paillettes.

Bo stared at it while telling herself not to blink. After touching the statue's hair and making sure that her chest wasn't heaving at all, she had finally acknowledged that it was a statue, not a real woman.

She found herself unable to move her eyes away from it, for its beauty that was both breathtaking and terrifying.

Bo raised her head to take a closer look at the statue's face. Half of it was covered in a veil. She couldn't only see her curling lips.

 _Where have I seen her?_ She wondered, for that face seemed so familiar.

She took a step forward, wanting to lift that veil, but a ball of shadow darted out from behind her. It almost made Bo scream. She stumbled back and raised her weapon, but quickly realized that it was that rat who had led the way out the labyrinth for them.

She looked around, looking for Tamsin and Dagny, since she thought they'd be with him, but apparently he was alone.

Bo looked at the rat, hoping that he'd take her somewhere, but it seemed that the little creature wasn't in any hurry at all. He stood beside the statue's feet, starting to brush his fur with his tiny claws.

Bo frowned when she noticed that the statue had her right hand on her left, and both palms facing up. It wasn't what she had seen a minute ago, and that made her very confused.

She thought she'd figure out a way to communicate with the rat so she could find Tamsin and Dagny, or at least figure out where she was and what was going on, but the rat suddenly jumped up and landed in the statue's palm.

She heard something clicking, clattering and groaning, like some mechanism had been triggered. The next thing she knew was her falling down in a dark passageway.

Down she tumbled along an endless, bumpy slide. It wasn't painful, though. It wasn't even uncomfortable. It felt like she was being thrown into soft marshmallows over and over.

She had no idea how deep she had fallen, but eventually she landed on something solid.

After having recovered from the slight motion sickness, she found herself in a cellar. It was dark, but she was able to see things around her.

She saw stone walls, and two metal gates, one on each side. There were a few pieces of stone furniture in the room, too. Everything looked old, a bit tattered, but in order.

A big throne in front of her caught her attention. It was very similar to the one that she had sat on in Zeus' apartment, the so-called "gift" from her father, but this one was bigger and far more exquisite.

It could fit someone three times as her size in there. That was her first impression. Then, she noticed the owl sculpture on top of the head rest. Its wings were spreaded, and she could even see the finest barbules on each feather. Its yellow eyes shined in the darkness. Bo figured that they must be a pair of gemstones, maybe amber or yellow topaz.

Two stone bats were hanging upside down under the throne's armrests, one on each side. They had their wings withdrawn and their eyes open. They eyes were blood red, like tiny torches.

Lifelike, that was all she could come up with if she had to describe the animals. She reached her fingers out, but withdrew them before she had touched any of them. They looked too real. She was afraid that they'd come to life once they received a single touch from an alive person.

When she noticed some writings carved on the surface of the seat, she went to take a closer look. Before she even figured out which language it was, though, the gate behind her swung open.

Gasping loudly, Bo spun around and raised her dagger at a woman standing in front of her.

To her surprise, it was someone she knew.

"Iris?" Bo murmured as she stared at the woman. She looked at her long hair, her silky skin and that paillette decorated pink dress on her. It was the same dress she had seen on Iris 10 years ago at that party at Zeus' place, but somehow Iris looked no longer like a young girl now. She seemed very mature, grown up and calm.

"Iris" shook her head slightly. "I'm not her," she explained. "I just kept this appearance because both Iris and I liked it."

The word "appearance" reminded Bo of something. "Hey! That statue! That dress! It was you!" She had finally figured out why the statue had looked so familiar. Then, she frowned and moved back cautiously. "You are Nyx," she said and immediately looked at the other woman's hand because she remembered her touch. The touch of death. The touch that could turn everything into the black dust of nothing.

The woman, Nyx, pulled her lips into a smile and nodded gently. "It's been a while, Bo," she said. When she noticed the hint of fear in Bo's eyes, she added, "don't worry. I am not going to hurt you. And FYI, I'm in total control of my power right now."

"Yeah, like I'm just gonna believe you," Bo murmured while clasping her weapon tightly with her sweaty fingers.

"Relax," Nyx said softly, so softly that it sounded like a careless whisper. "I arranged this meeting because I need to talk to you."

Bo frowned as she eyed the woman. "Arranged the meeting? Whatever, tell me what's going on and where Tamsin and Dagny are."

"They are just running a little late," Nyx explained. Then she raised her head and pointed to the above.

The next thing Bo knew, was Tamsin and Dagny falling down from above one after the other. The Valkyrie left out a loud curse when she hit the ground.

"What the hell," Tamsin complained as she stood up. Then, she pulled Dagny up and checked her to make sure that was okay.

When she saw Bo and the raised weapon in her hand, she immediately stood in front of the brunette and Dagny while pulling her weapon out.

Looking at Nyx, Tamsin frowned. "Wait, I know you," she murmured. "You are that Iris chick. Zeus' daughter, right?"

"I think she's Nyx," Bo nudged Tamsin and told her in a whisper, but that didn't make Tamsin any less confused at all.

"Whatever. Where the hell are we? What do you want from us?" Tamsin asked in a defensive stance.

"I just want to talk," Nyx replied sincerely.

"About what?" Bo asked. "And where the hell are we exactly? One minute we were just outside the damn labyrinth, the next-"

"You are still right outside the labyrinth, in that tunnel," Nyx explained. "Sorry that you all had to go through that maze. There was no other way."

"Ummm, what do you mean that we are still right outside the labyrinth? I'm pretty sure I was in a garden and then we all came down here," Bo said as she pointed at the floor under her foot.

"Oh, this is nothing but an induced dream," Nyx said.

"An induced dream?" Both Bo and Tamsin exclaimed. Then they looked at each other at the same time, their eyebrows raised.

Tamsin quickly pinched herself, and with her other hand she pinched Bo. The brunette complained in a soft groan. Both of them felt pain, but neither woke up.

"This dream doesn't work like that," Nyx said, almost chuckling. "This is a dream induced by my son, Morpheus."

"Wait, if you are meeting us in our dream, why the hell did we have to run around in that damn labyrinth like three idiots? Was that a dream too?"

"No, that was real. Sorry, Phobetor had to get you guys close enough to where I am, so I can appear in your dreams, but don't worry, you are all safe. My fog is protecting you, hiding you from Hades' minions."

"Morpheus? " Dagny had finally recovered from the shock. "Ph-Phobetor?" She pointed at the rat who had just come out from under the throne.

The rat's answered her with soft squeaks. Then, he ran to Nyx and disappeared under her dress. A second later, a young child appeared behind Nyx. He stuck his head out and grimaced at Dagny. He had a pair of pure black eyes just like the rat.

Dagny couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Then, she gasped because the throne shifted its shape into a young boy who looked exactly the same as Phobetor. He ran to Nyx happily and hid behind her too.

"And this is Phantasus," Nyx introduced while stroking the boy's hair. "Morpheus makes people dream. Phobetor can change his shape to animals. When he shifts to something small enough he could get out of the dungeon we are in, and that was how he could reach you guys. Phantasus can change his shape to inanimate objects."

"Oh," Dagny nodded as she grimaced back at Phobetor. The boy grinned at her, before he left with his brother.

They exited the gate, and ran away giggling. Both Bo and Tamsin could swear that they heard the voice of three kids, not two, down the corridor.

"Alright, we've met your kids. They are great," Tamsin said. "What exactly do you want to talk about?"

"The things that you want to know the most," Nyx said as she looked back at Tamsin. "For example, how you came back after your rising."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Tamsin stared at Nyx, her hands clenched and her heart right at her throat now. "You-" she murmured. "You know how I came back?"

Nyx nodded slightly. "I know exactly how you came back, Valkyrie."

"Then tell me," Tamsin demanded, taking a step forward. "It was Hades, wasn't it? It was him who _made_ me come back, wasn't it?"

Her voice shivered in the air, too fragile for her liking. Her heart pounded so desperately as the answer she had been searching for ever since she had come back was about to be revealed. The answer she had been longed for, but at the same time, afraid of.

What if it really had been Hades? That thought haunted her dreams, making her stay awake in the middle of the night. She couldn't help but ask herself those questions. What did he want from her? What was his plan? Was he planning on hurting her again, or worse, hurting Dagny? Why it had to be her? Why?

Sometimes, in order to get a couple of hours of sleep and a moment of sanity, she convinced herself that it might not be Hades. He wasn't the only powerful creature out there. It could very well be someone else. But then, she'd ask herself why. Why would anyone go through the impossibles just to bring her back? Who else could have possibly done that? Who else would care about someone like her?

Taking a deep breath, Tamsin swallowed hard. "Tell me, was it him?"

Nyx pulled her lips into a smile and shook her head. "No. It was not him who brought you back."

Tamsin gave her a brief nod after she had made sure that she had heard the other woman right. She turned away, staring at the empty stone walls blankly. Suddenly her heart was able to beat again. Blood seemed to have flowed back to her limbs and her digits, giving her life.

She stumbled a little for feeling a bit dizzy. "Are you sure? It really wasn't him?" She asked, unconsciously seeking for Bo's hand. The brunette immediately offered her her warm fingers and a comforting smile.

After getting a firm nod from Nyx, Tamsin squeezed Bo's hand gently. "If it wasn't him, who was it? Who brought me back?"

"No one," Nyx answered simply. "It just wasn't your time, Valkyrie. You died in a wrong place at a wrong time. Your fate corrected its own course so you were back again."

"I don't...I don't understand," Tamsin muttered in a deep frown. "What do you mean by it wasn't my time? What my death is supposed to follow a timeline or something?"

"Yes, actually it is," Nyx explained. "The birth and the death of everyone, as well as when we should meet anyone, what would happen in our lives and when it should happen, follow a certain course, and it's called _fate_. You weren't supposed to die there. It wasn't what was written in your fate."

"But, I died, okay? As a Valkyrie in her last life, I gave birth to a child. It _was_ my time. I rose," Tamsin argued. "If there's really such thing as fate, that should have been the end of mine."

Nyx sighed softly and shook her head. "No, it wasn't the end of yours. Yes, you are a Valkyrie, and Valkyries die after giving birth. And yes, it was your last life, so if you died you would rise. However, even as a Valkyrie dying in her last life, you could still be resurrected or saved. You didn't have to die. You could have lived, but you chose not to.

"I didn't _choose_ anything, woman," Tamsin hissed as those painful memories came back to her now. The last moment of her life. The tears she had been holding back. The despair of having to leave behind her loved ones. The peaceful look she had to put on her face so she'd look strong and ready. Dagny's heartbeat. Bo's sad eyes. Had it been a wrong choice she had made somewhere along her life? Had it been something she had done wrong? Had she ever had a choice?

"Yes, you did," Nyx said firmly. "Bo offered to save you, didn't she? Had you accepted, she could have breathed life into you again, but you refused. You made a choice to die, to rise, but you weren't supposed to. You were supposed to live, Valkyrie. You should have lived."

"Umm, excuse me?" Bo said as she squeezed Tamsin's cold, sweaty hand. "I don't know if it was fate, or a choice or something, but...whatever it was, she made that decision herself. Who the hell are you to say that she should or shouldn't have done that?"

Nyx shook her head in defeat. Instead of answer Bo's question, she took a few steps towards the closed gate on her right. She stretched her right arm out with her palm facing up, and the gate opened silently.

"Come with me," she requested as she walked through the gate. "I'll show you."

* * *

After walking through a long, narrow corridor, they arrived at a dead end. In front of them, there was a huge wooden door. On the door there was a pattern of two standing owls. They faced each other, guarding the ring between them.

Nyx lifted the ring gently and knocked the door for three times. The door quietly opened on its own, revealing a small room behind it.

A huge loom was in the middle of the room. The color of it was as dark as a starless, moonless night sky. The threads that had been looped around its warp beam and in its heddle, though, were bright as the midday sunshine. They were made of pure gold.

Three young women sat by the loom. Their faces were identical, beautiful but cold. They were busily doing their work, with their heads lowered and their eyes staring at the machine closely, as if they weren't aware of the presence of Nyx and the other three women in the room at all.

The woman who sat the closest to the loom in a long shoulderless linen gown, was pulling threads out from the loom with her nifty fingers. She tugged at each one, as if she was examining them. Then, occasionally, she'd hand one of the strings to the woman sitting right next to her.

The second woman, whose dress had two ruffled shoulder straps, held a long, old fashioned ruler made of pure gold. The length of the ruler would change each time she took a new thread into her hand. She would measure the string with her ruler and use the nail of her thumb to mark it. Then, she'd quickly hand that thread to the third woman.

The third woman, who had her hair tied into a bun on top of her head, held a pair of scissors that were also made of gold. She'd take the thread that had been handed to her, and cut precisely at where the mark was. The end that had been cut off by her would just vanish in the air as if it never had existed.

The three women tirelessly pulled, measured and cut. No matter how many threads they had processed, the loom seemed to always have just as many threads on it.

"Who the hell are they?" Tamsin murmured as she frowned at the three woman. The number "three", the gold threads and the loom seemed to have reminded her of some old legends she had once heard of but she was too absentminded right now to recall any details.

"Oh, I know! I know!" Dagny exclaimed excitedly. "They are the Moirai! I've read about them in my book! They are Clotho-" she pointed at the thread puller, "-Lachesis," she pointed at the measurer, "and Atropos," she pointed at the cutter.

"Wow," Tamsin glanced at her daughter, surprised and proud.

Dagny beamed. "They are the Goddesses of fate, right?" She turned to Nyx for confirmation but her eyes were still looking at her mother.

Nyx smiled. "They are not Goddesses," she corrected Dagny. "They are just Premodians who are able to communicate with fate."

"But, they do determine who borns and dies, right?" Dagny pursued.

Nyx shook her head. "No, they don't, and can't, make that decision either," she explained. "They simply listen to whatever the fate has told them and interpret it here. When they sense a new life is born, they produce a new thread and measure the length of its life. When it is at its very end, they cut it."

"What does this have to do with my return?" Tamsin asked.

"The day you rose," Nyx replied. "Your thread was cut. I should remind you, though, that your thread being cut wasn't caused by the decision you made. It was quite the contrary. You chose to die, _because_ your thread was cut."

"So...it wasn't her decision at all?" Bo asked, frowning.

"No, I'm afraid it wasn't. In fact, the belief that we have choices is nothing but an illusion. We are presented with choices because we think we are. We choose which path to follow because our fate tells us so. Often we think that if we had made a different choice at a certain time, we could have changed things, but the truth is, either we end up at the same place we are despite having made a different decision, or we'd make the same decision over and over no matter what. It's fate. We can't change it. If Atropos cuts your thread, you die."

She turned to Tamsin, staring at her closely now, "for you, though, the three sisters made a mistake. "

"What do you mean?" Tamsin frowned, a part of her mind still processing Nyx's talk about fate and decisions.

Nyx took a glance at the moirai sisters. Then, she told Tamsin, Bo and Dagny, "step forward please."

The three of them hesitantly followed her order. Nyx raised her hand and tapped their foreheads gently with her middle and index fingers.

Her touch triggered a series of vibrant images to be displayed in their minds, like they were watching a movie in their heads.

They saw the moirai sisters sitting beside the same loom in the same room. They were doing their jobs, quietly tugging, measuring and cutting. None of them had noticed that a black snake had slipped into the room under the door.

The snake slithered along the edge of the walls, carefully hiding itself in the shadows. It stopped in the corner briefly and left a maroon fruit there. Then, it quickly exited the room.

The fruit, which had an appearance close to a date plum, vanished into a light pink smoke.

Clotho yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her index finger lazily hooked itself on a thread that was tightly coiled on the loom. She squinted her eyes hard while handing it to Lachesis.

Lachesis, who seemed to have trouble keeping her eyes open as well, carelessly put her ruler beside the thread and left a mark on it.

Atropos took it over while closing her eyes. She dozed off for a split second. Her right arm sank, and her thumb moved, causing the blades of her scissors to close. She ended up cutting the thread into half.

The three sisters opened their eyes again, shook their heads and resumed their work. None of them had realized that they had all dozed off for a second.

The images disappeared, and Tamsin, Bo and Dagny all took a step back while gasping.

"What the hell was that?" Bo exclaimed in a soft groan.

"That was the moment when they cut the wrong thread," Nyx explained. Then she turned to Tamsin and added, "your thread."

"How? " Tamsin frowned. "And what was the deal with the snake and the fruit? W-what exactly happened?"

"Hades happened," Nyx replied. "He sent the snake down here to deliver a lotus tree fruit."

"Lotus tree fruit?" Tamsin repeated, beyond shocked. "I thought that was purely fictional!"

"What is a lotus tree fruit? Don't lotus grow in ponds and lakes, with big round leaves and beautiful flowers?" Bo asked. "They aren't trees."

"Not that kind of lotus," Tamsin explained to her. "In the myths, there's a plant called the lotus tree. They would produce honey-sweet fruits. The fruits work like drowsy pills."

"Oh! That's why they all dozed off," Bo nodded. She pondered for a while, before she murmured, "so...my father drugged the sisters with the drowsy fruit, just so they'd cut Tamsin's thread?"

"Exactly," Nyx nodded. "He tricked them into picking a wrong thread to cut that day."

"Why? Because then I'd be dead?" Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows. "He did it just to kill me?"

"Yeah, he did this to kill you. He wanted you to die at that very moment."

"That doesn't make sense," Tamsin huffed out a light laugh. "Why would he do that? I mean, yeah, I know that he wanted me dead, but he had plenty of chances to kill me. Why do it this way?"

"My guess? He probably thinks that once your thread is cut, you'd stay dead and there would be no way to _fix_ it, but he was wrong. Fate always corrects its own course. No one can interfere with it, not him, not even Zeus, or me," Nyx replied. "Like I said, your fate brought you back."

She paused briefly, before she turned to look at Dagny who curiously paced around the loom checking out its parts. "He didn't kill you sooner because of her," she told Tamsin while pointing at Dagny. "He needed to make sure that she was born before you died."

"Well, yeah, we know that. He wanted to have a backup plan because he realized that he lost control of me. He figured if Tamsin was dead, the child would have no one but him in her life."

"You really think that was the reason?" Nyx asked Bo. "You really think that he didn't have a backup plan, or several backup plans ready, _before_ he reached out to you? Come on, Bo, it's your father that we are talking about. You know him. He's Hades. He's the master of manipulation. He always plans ten steps ahead. The birth of this little girl is essential to his plan. She's far more important than a backup plan. And I'm sure he has planned all these long before you released him from Tartarus, Bo."

"What does he want from my daughter?" Tamsin hissed.

"I don't know the answer to that question," Nyx said, shaking her head, "but I do know one thing. He chose you to be the mother of this child for a reason. He picked you for a reason. He could have made any other woman to do it for him, but he didn't."

"Well, I'm a Valkyrie. I am a strong, rare race, and I die after childbirth. That way, if he took the baby away, he could have raised her, twisted her mind and made her his little loyal soldier."

"True, but you are not the only powerful Fae out there, and it's not that hard to have a motherless child. He could simply kill the mother after the child is born. It could be anyone, but somehow, it had to be you."

"I guess it's my damn fate then?" Tamsin bit her words out. "Maybe the damn fate just decided that I should be the one to-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, for too many whimpers and curses had clogged her throat. She had asked herself countless times. _Why me? Why it had to be me?_ However, she wasn't sure if she'd really want to know the answer.

"Tamsin," Bo called softly as she held her hand again. She turned to the Valkyrie and gazed into her furious eyes. She couldn't come up with a single thing that was appropriate to say to Tamsin, so she chose to hug her instead.

Nyx waited for Tamsin to calm down, before she asked, "he had to order your death. Do you realize what that means?"

Tamsin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She pulled back a little and turned away from Bo, though still had her hand in Bo's. "He wanted me dead, because somehow I must be an obstacle to his plan. That son of bitch won't like it when he sees me alive. He won't like it at all."

She inhaled hard to calm her angry heart. "What is his plan? What does he want?"

"He's after the one thing that he has always wanted. The world," Nyx shrugged. "He wants everyone to worship me like he is the one and the only god. He wants to own everything and everyone. He wants to rule the world."

"That's no news for us," Bo scoffed. "I don't care if he wants to be a god or whatever. All I care is that we need to defeat him. Is there a way to do that? Can you...defeat him?"

"I can, but I can't," Nyx answered. "Am I more powerful than him? Yes. Am I capable of defeating him? Yes. Can I get out of here and defeat him without turning the entire earth into dust of nothing? No, I can't, Bo. Once I'm out of here, I no longer have control over my power."

" _Here_?"

"The deepest, darkest dungeon of Tartarus. That's where I am. That's where all the imprisoned Primodians are." Nyx let out a heavy sigh. "As much powerful as I am, my era was long gone, Bo. I can't really do anything when I'm down here. I had to went through all the troubles to just meet you guys in a dream. And last time I was on earth, you saw what happened. I wish I could help."

"No, no, you are helping," Bo said as she placed her hand on Nyx's wrist. "At least you told us how Tamsin has come back, and how it was all Hades' idea to kill her. I mean, you know things about Hades. I'm sure you know a way to defeat him. There is a way, right?"

"There are many ways to defeat him. That box that caged him for decades-"

"-which would release you if we..." Tamsin shrugged. "No offense."

Nyx chuckled softly while shaking her head. "Then there's the First Song, the song that banished all Ancients to Myth-"

"I don't want him just to be banished. I want him dead," Bo growled. "I need to make sure that he's never gonna pop out and hurt anyone ever again."

"Well, there's, of course, Zeus' lightning."

"Right, Zeus' lightning. Where can we find that?" Bo asked. "Did she take it to Myth?"

"I don't think that it's in Myth. The Ancients were stripped off their powers when entering Myth, her lightning included. I know she had it before she was sent to Myth. Its whereabout remained unknown since then."

"Great, how the hell are we gonna find it then?" Bo said with great frustration.

"I'd dig through all those myth and legends and old songs from the ancient bards to find clues if I were you," Nyx suggested. "I'd also revisit all the places Zeus had been last time she was here. Maybe she hid it somewhere, since she knew she couldn't take it back to Myth. However..."

" _However_?" Bo raised her brows at the great hesitation.

"None of you would be able to wield it," Nyx said. "It's Zeus' lightning. It would burn mortal souls to dust. It's very likely that you won't even be able to hold it."

"Well, you gotta be willing to take the burn..." Bo trailed off, pondering.

"Why are you helping us? Are you seeking revenge cuz he persuaded Bo to put you back in the dungeon?" Tamsin asked.

"Well...I never liked him, so..." Nyx shrugged. "And seriously, a world ruled by him? Worst nightmare of all."

Tamsin nodded and frowned at the loom. Then, her eyes fell on Dagny. The young girl stopped poking at the threads once she noticed Tamsin's stare. She straightened her body timidly and scratched her hair while avoiding eye contact.

"Do you know what she is?" Tamsin asked Nyx.

"I actually do, but...I think it is the best if you find out on your own," Nyx said. "You are her mother. You shouldn't be expecting answers from me."

"Whatever," Tamsin murmured as she rolled her eyes. "Is she the one who made us all go crazy in the maze?"

"Well...yes and no," Nyx answered as she looked at Dagny closely with a subtle smile. "The doubts you felt, the betrayals and the distrust were planted by Melinoe. It was her power that made you want to hurt each other, but the progress of her power is usually very slow, so slow that you wouldn't be able to notice the change."

"Then what about Dagny's power?"

"Her power accelerated Melinoe's, making you want to kill each other in minutes. It is not the only attribute of her power...anyway, it might actually have been a good thing in your situation, because later you are gonna face a lot more danger, and turning against each other can really kill you."

"What danger? What are you talking about?" Bo asked, confused.

"The path the three of you are going to take later, is a dangerous one," Nyx explained. "It's filled with darkness, monsters and surprises."

"What path are you talking about?" Tamsin narrowed her eyes at Nyx.

"Well, the elevator won't work for her, right?" Nyx looked at Dagny, and the young girl lowered her head guiltily. "Hades lured her down here and made her stay. She couldn't leave through the elevator now, but she's not yet trapped."

"What do you mean?" Both Tamsin and Bo frowned.

"As the King of the underworld, he has ordered her to stay here, so she no longer has access to the elevator. But, she hasn't eaten anything from Tartarus yet, so she's not trapped, or bound to Tartarus like many others," Nyx explained. Then, she tilted her head a little at Dagny and asked softly, "you haven't eaten anything down here, have you?"

Dagny shook her head. "I was about to, cuz I was hungry and Melinoe offered a lot of food to me, but Phobetor stopped me. W-what if I had eaten the food she gave me?"

"Then you'd be bound to Tartarus. You wouldn't be able to leave at all. Persephone ate only six seeds, which were equal to six months of her time down here every year. Had you taken anything, no one would have been able to get you out."

Dagny let out a sigh of relief. "So I can still get out?"

"You can, only with help though. Someone from the earth has to be willing to guide you through a certain path. It was the same route Orpheus and Eurydice have taken before. It's your only way out."

"The route Orpheus and Eurydice took?" Dagny frowned. "You mean the path where you can not look back or you'd be forever trapped down here?"

"It wasn't like that. You can look back," Nyx said, a bit amused by how literal Dagny had taken from the stories she had read. "The problem, though, is that it is a long, winding path, and the stairs are slippery, steep and narrow. If you turn back and get distracted, there's a great chance you'd fall into the abyss and be devoured by those bitter, hungry souls."

Dagny shuddered. "So...that's the only way out, huh?"

"Yeah, it's your only way out," Nyx confirmed.

"Well, show us where that path is then," Tamsin shrugged.

Nyx smiled and gently touched their foreheads again. They saw themselves resting in the corridor right outside the labyrinth. At the end of the corridor, there was a huge animal statue guarding a sealed gate. Behind the gate, there was a long, dark path with countless steps. Silhouettes of monsters emerged from the darkness. They could even hear them laughing and growling. At the end of the path, there was bright, bright light.

Tamsin shook her head to get rid of the residue of the images that were in her mind. "Let's go. I'm so done with this Tartarus crap."

"I wish you all good luck," Nyx told them. The look in her eyes made Bo frown.

"Is there something else you want to tell us?" Bo asked.

Nyx smiled. "How's Mark?" She asked, then quickly clarified, "I wasn't asking for myself. Iris wants to know."

"He's doing great," Bo said as she squeezed Nyx's hand. She could see Iris in her eyes now, still young, innocent, full of curiosity and pride. At this very moment, she was brought back to the ballroom she had been in ten years ago, the ballroom in which she had first met Iris. She tried to save her but she ended up helplessly watching her die. She couldn't help but wonder if anything she could have done differently would have changed it, but then she realized that perhaps life was too cruel.

"He's...umm, doing great," she repeated in a murmur. "He's a police officer now."

Nyx nodded slightly after a long pause. "Alright, I think this is where we say goodbye," she told Bo. "I hope I'd never see any of you again."

With that, the door in front of them opened.

* * *

 **A/N: I've included a lot of Greek myth contents in this chapter and the previous chapter. I guess I should explain a little about them, in case anyone is feeling confused right now.**

 **In Greek mythology, Nyx is the Goddess of night. She's often considered as a primordial God who has existed since the beginning of time. She has many children, and some of which were produced via** **parthenogenesis, including Morpheus (who presents human images in dreams), Phobetor (who presents images of animals in dreams), and Phantasos (who presents images of inanimate objects in dreams). In this fic, Phobetor shapeshifted into a rat and guided them to Nyx.**

 **The Moirai, who are also said to be Nyx's children, are in charge of fate of the humans and Gods. Of course in the fic, they are not Goddesses, but Primodians. They no longer made decisions about fate, but interpret it.**

 **As for Orpheus and Eurydice, it's a famous yet tragic story in Greek myth. Orpheus was a talented musician, and he fell in love with Eurydice. Eurydice got bitten by a snake on their wedding day, and was sent to Tartarus. Orpheus went to Tartarus looking for her, and Persephone was moved by his music. She agreed to let Eurydice go, only on one condition - before they exited hell, Orpheus wasn't allowed to turn his head back and look at his lover. He left with Eurydice, but before they walked out, he couldn't help but turn back. Eurydice was taken back and kept in Tartarus forever. He went heartbroken and died. He was turned into Lyra after his death, as lyre was his favorite instrument. I think it would be interesting to do an analog here with Bo, Tamsin and Dagny. Of course, not being able to turn back while fighting off monsters would be impossible so I changed that. I hope you all will like the next few chapters.**

 **So I've finally explained how Tamsin has come back. I hope everyone likes this explanation :). There's a bit more to it, though, and we'll find out when they meet Hades again.**

 **I know a lot of you want to know what Dagny is, but you'll have to be patient. It'll take a while before they figure it out. They have more important things to worry right now anyway.**

 **To** **restoneSux: you were asking for an update before the end of this month, you got it :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Bo struggled to wake up from all the images that were overloading her brain. The Moirai sisters, the loom and the flying threads, the snake in the shadows, Tamsin lying in a coffin, her expanding wings, Kenzi was being chased and she was screaming.

"...Bo, hey, Bo..." someone was calling her name. That voice seemed so far away.

Bo tried to lift her arms, but all she managed to do was a spasm. She wanted to open her eyes but her eyelids just wouldn't comply.

She saw herself chasing Kenzi, and her name was being called over and over by someone.

When she had finally registered the tapping hand on her cheek and the firm grip on her shoulder, she let a puff of air burst through her lips and her eyes shot opened.

The first thing she saw was Tamsin and Dagny's concerned faces in the bright light from their flashlights. Both of them looked relieved the moment she woke up.

"Whoa..." Bo murmured as she sat up straight. She looked around and realized that they were back in the corridor outside the maze again.

"You alright?" Tamsin asked while looking into her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just...I just had this dream again, the same one I had before you came back...it was...I guess it wasn't just a random dream."

"What are you talking about?" Tamsin asked, frowning. "Your brain didn't get fried by that induced dream, did it?"

Bo shook her head while rolling her eyes at Tamsin. "Before you came back, I had a dream about you," she explained but immediately regretted for having told Tamsin about it. For some reason, it felt a bit embarrassing, but it was too late to take back now.

"What dream?"

"I followed a bunch of people dressed in black to a funeral home. There was a casket in the middle. You were in it. Then, you woke up and told me that you had been waiting for me and that the end was neign. When I woke up from it, Dagny was banging on my door telling me that her handprint glowed. I guess it was a message from Nyx or something, telling me that you were coming back and that everything would just start over again."

Tamsin shrugged. "Whatever, it's just a dream. Message or not, let's get outta here first, shall we?"

Bo nodded and got up. The three of them quickly checked their bags and equipments, before they shared some food and water. Then, they headed down the corridor.

* * *

Just like what they had seen in the vision that Nyx had provided, there was a huge metal gate at the end of the corridor. The copper surface shined brightly under their flashlights. The bas-relief animal patterns on it looked as if they were real, alive things.

Beside it, there sat a large statue. Its head was buried under its paws as if it was resting.

Tamsin pulled her sword out and made sure that no one was following them. Then, she approached the statue and checked to see it would pose any danger.

After seeing nothing abnormal, she put her hand on the gate and pushed, but it didn't move. She pressed her shoulder against it and applied all her strength on it. The gate moved a little bit, but was forced back by the latched lock behind it.

Pointing her flashlight at the seam between the two doors, Tamsin saw several metal bars that held the gate together. She thought she'd pry them open by inserting her blade through the seam, but there was not enough space to fit her sword in.

Suddenly, she heard a soft puff behind her, with Bo and Dagny gasping at the same time. She spun around and was shocked to see that statue was now back to life.

The statue now sat there with his body straightened and his paws tightly pressed on the floor. He was five times as tall as Tamsin. He had a human face with braided beard under his chin, the body of a lion and two giant wings on his back.

Tamsin slowly moved back to Bo and Dagny while cautiously watching the human-lion-hybrid. He didn't seem aggressive to her, but the look on his face was very indifferent. It almost felt like he was observing the three of them coldly.

"He's a Sphinx," Dagny whispered to Bo and Tamsin.

The Sphinx, having heard her words, gave her a slight nod, as if he was impressed. His eyes moved from Dagny's face, to Bo's, then to Tamsin's.

"Traveller, why are you here?" He asked with a loud, almost deafening voice. The echoes of it rang in the women's ears like bells.

"We are trying to get out of Tartarus. We were told that we have to go through here," Bo answered honestly.

"I see," the hybrid nodded.

"Would you open the gate for us?"

"I'm afraid not," the Sphinx replied, shaking his head firmly. "None shall pass until I heard the correct answers to my riddles."

"Riddles? You want us to answer riddles?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"It's a good thing, right? At least we don't have to fight him?" Bo asked in a whisper after comparing her dagger to the Sphinx's teeth. She wondered if it would be big enough for him to pick his teeth with.

"But, if we answer it wrong, he'll eat us," Dagny told them. "Right?" She turned to the hybrid and got a firm nod.

Tamsin gripped her sword tightly in her hand, and said, "ummm, maybe there's a third choice, you know, other than being eaten or being...eaten?"

"Before we start, I must announce the rules first," The Sphinx said. "I will give you three riddles, for there are three of you. Anyone can answer any of my riddles. If you answer all correctly, I will open the gate for you. If any of your answers is incorrect, I will eat all of you."

Tamsin snorted and leaned to Bo's side. "Be prepared to fight if we get the answers wrong," she whispered to the brunette, and Bo gave her a firm nod.

The Sphinx glanced at them, before he said,"which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?"

"Oh, oh I know this one!" Dagny exclaimed excitedly after a short pause. "Humans! The answer is humans!"

Both Tamsin and Bo raised their eyebrows at Dagny. Then, they cautiously turned to look at the Sphinx, preparing to fight back at any second now, but the Sphinx just calmly acknowledged that Dagny's answer was correct.

"How do you know the answer? You heard it before or something?" Tamsin asked.

"Yeah, I read it in the book that Mama Kenzi gave me. It was the exact same riddle the Sphinx gave Oedipus," Dagny explained. "Humans crawl as babies, and stand up to walk, and they when they get old, they walk with a stick."

Bo nodded, before she told the hybrid, "alright, we got the first one right. What's the second one?"

"There are two sisters," the Sphinx said, "one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters?"

"It'll be nice if you know this one too," Tamsin told Dagny.

The young girl proudly scrunched her nose. "I actually do. The answer is day and night. Day and night are the two sisters."

The Sphinx gave her a nod. He seemed to have realized that both riddles he had given were too simple for this group, so instead of giving the last one immediately, he pondered for a long time.

After a while, he withdrew his right paw slightly and started, "both bitter and sweet she is. So close, yet so far. The sweetness of her you desire, yet nothing but the foams of dream it could offer. Scars you her bitterness, and everlasting void it leaves. What is she?"

Tamsin immediately turned to Dagny, but the young girl shook her head.

"I haven't read this one in the book," she admitted. "I've only read the other two."

"Well, something bitter and sweet, hmmm. I guess it's not chocolate, huh?" Bo murmured and scratched her hair. There were a few things that she thought would be both bitter and sweet, but she didn't know if they were the correct answer.

Tamsin pondered the riddle. There were a few times that she thought she had figured out the answer, but it was just gone like a flash of spark before she could grasp it.

She turned to Bo unconsciously, and met those confused brown eyes. The moment she noticed those bright sparkles in Bo's eyes, she felt a sudden thump from her heart.

She had the answer right there. How could she not have figured it out the moment the Sphinx finished telling the riddle? The answer was right there. It was something she thought she could reach, but all it left her was nothing but black and blue. It was exactly what the Sphinx had described. Bitter and sweet, so close yet so far.

She clenched her fist and left out a quiet sigh. When she saw Bo's eyebrows knotting a little and a subtle sadness appearing in those eyes, she turned away.

Raising her head, she looked into the Sphinx's dark orange eyes. "Love," she answered, feeling her throat closing up now. "The answer is love."

The hybrid nodded, and Tamsin could almost see a hint of pity in his cold eyes, as if he knew exactly why she could answer it correctly.

She cursed in her heart and squeezed the hilt of her sword hard. "Can you open the gate now?"

"Of course," the Sphinx answered. "Travellers, you may proceed."

With that, the lock of the gate unlatched, and the Sphinx stepped to the side. He yawned and arched his back, before he buried his face into his paws and changed back to a stone statue.

"Wow, that was smooth. I thought we'd for sure end up in a fight or something," Bo murmured.

"Yeah, no kidding," Tamsin grunted. She didn't dare to look at Bo, because she didn't want to reveal the despair through her eyes. Those painful memories suddenly rushed back to her like a tide, and she was tossed in it.

She shook her head slightly and put her hand on the gate. Before she pushed on it, though, a puffing sound exploded behind her.

She turned back and raised her sword, shocked to see a second Sphinx standing there looking at them.

He was much smaller in size, and his eyes were quite mischievous.

"Hey, we've already had our three puzzles," Bo warned him.

The Sphinx didn't say anything. He cleared his throat for a few times, before he started, "travellers, you must listen carefully, for what I'm about to say is very important."

"Then spit it out," Tamsin told him as she stood by Bo's side.

"One rides death. One inhales life. One corrupts heart. The last one is long lost. Together they gallop, and the gate of the Hell opens."

Baffled by what he had just said, Bo looked at Tamsin, and the Valkyrie just gave her a shrug.

"Don't look at me. I suck at riddles," Tamsin murmured.

Bo turned to Dagny, but the young girl was just as confused as her, if not more. She was about to ask what the Sphinx meant, but the hybrid just disappeared in a puff of fog.

After the fog faded into the darkness, Phobetor the rat stood there and looked at them.

"Hey," Dagny greeted him excitedly. She got down on her knees and leaned forward. "Was that a riddle? What does it mean?"

The rat squeaked softly and shook his head. He circled in front of her for a couple of time, and took off, heading back to the maze. When he realized that all three women were still looking at him, he stopped briefly and waved them goodbye. Then, he leaped into the darkness and disappeared.

Bo let out a deep breath. "Phew, just as I thought we were screwed," she joked while thinking about what Phobetor had just told them.

"Do you know what means?" She asked Tamsin.

"I have no idea," Tamsin told her. "It could be a message from Nyx to us. One rides death. One inhales life. What else?"

"Something about corrupt heart and someone long lost. And he mentioned some hell gate opening or whatever."

"Speaking of which," Tamsin murmured as she pushed the gate open. "Let's go."

Bo nodded. She turned to Dagny and told her to follow, but the young girl uncomfortably squirmed. The look on her face was a bit embarrassed.

"What is it?" Tamsin asked impatiently.

"I kinda have to...pee," Dagny said in a low voice.

Tamsin sighed. "Well...just...do it somewhere we can't see then. Don't go too far, okay?"

"And make sure you sing when you-you know, so we know you are aright," Bo added.

Dagny nodded and took a few steps back into the dark corridor while humming some pop singer's hit song. Bo and Tamsin stood in front of the gate, waiting. The air around them started to become awkward for them to breathe.

Licking her lips, Bo said, "Tamsin, I umm...the things I said to you in the labyrinth? I just want you to know that I didn't mean any of it."

"I know," Tamsin replied simply. Her voice bounced back from the walls like pebbles.

"And I'm sure that the things Dagny said, she didn't mean any of it either."

"I know," Tamsin repeated.

"I ummm..." Bo stuttered and she couldn't find the right words. There were a million things stuck in her throat, and she could get none of them out.

Tamsin gave her a quick glance, before she turned to Dagny who had just come back.

"Let's go," she said and entered the gate.

* * *

Behind the gate, it was a pitch dark place. The only light sources were their flashlights. They carefully examined the surroundings after the gate closed behind them.

They found themselves standing on a small platform that was a part of a cliff. In front of the, it was that long staircase they had seen in Nyx's vision. It seemed to have been chiseled out from the side of the cliff. It was so narrow, that it wasn't possible for two people standing on it side by side. One side of it was the cliff, and the other was empty.

Tamsin cautiously held her flashlight up and bent forward. She looked down, but other than the few feet of nothing illuminated by the flashlight, she couldn't see anything else. It seemed to be a bottomless abyss down below.

"Just watch your steps, okay?" She warned Dagny, and the young girl nodded.

Tamsin quietly led the way, with Dagny behind her and Bo behind Dagny. The three of them carefully moved forward on the slippery steps, making sure that their feet landed on the steps firmly and steadily before taking a step.

"How far away do you think we are?" Dagny asked.

"I don't know. It seems that it's gonna take a while," Tamsin answered honestly. "Did your book mention how long this journey is going to be?"

"No," Dagny replied.

Her voice echoed in the darkness, bouncing back and forth between the rocky surfaces. After a while, it sounded like it was from someone else, like someone was mimicking her tone. Eventually it died as a soft whimper. Then there was nothing but the silence again. A silence that could devour every living soul.

Dagny took a step further, but ran into Tamsin's back. She quickly reached for her mother's hand so she wouldn't fall, and Tamsin supported her firmly.

"Shh," Tamsin told her and Bo while listening to a fluttering sound in the air.

Something was coming at them. One minute it was close, the next it was far away. Tamsin waited patiently, and when that thing fleeted across her side, she slashed her sword at it.

A loud cry came, and a shadow fell down. Bo quickly pointed her flashlight at it, but she could only see a vague silhouette. Whatever it was, it looked nasty, and dark. It quickly disappeared into the abyss.

"What was that?" Dagny asked, scared.

"I have no fucking idea," Tamsin replied, before she resumed the journey.

Dagny quietly followed her and grabbed her push dagger. She wondered if that was a monster, or an underworld animal. The endless silence squeezed her heart in a way that she didn't like at all. It felt like she was walking through the field of death, and the minions of the devils were lurking in the shadows. They could come at her at any time.

Taking a few breaths, she told herself not to be afraid. When they took a brief break, she wiped the sweat off her forehead while looking around.

When she first caught a glimpse of something shiny, she thought it was just her seeing things. She rubbed her eyes, and squinted them for a few time, before she looked at that thing again.

This time, she was certain that it was a stream of bright light coming from somewhere afar.

"Look! Light! Over there! It must be the exit!" She exclaimed excitedly and took a step towards it.

"Watch out!" Both Tamsin and Bo yelled and reached for her. They caught her just in time before she stepped into the abyss.

They pulled her back and held her firmly. She panted, her back covered in cold sweat now. She knew if they hadn't caught her in time, she'd have fallen into the abyss already. She searched for the bright light, but it was gone now.

"I thought I saw the sunlight..." she murmured.

"No, you didn't," Tamsin told her.

"But, it was right there! I swear!" Dagny argued, pointing at where she had seen the light.

"Did you feel the heat on your skin?"

"No, it was...really far away."

"Then it ain't the sun," Tamsin told her. "We are at the bottom of the underworld, and the sun is way above us, kid. No matter how much something looks like it, unless you are basking in it, don't think for a second that it's real."

Dagny swallowed hard and nodded. Bo stroked her back to comfort her.

"I need you to focus, okay?" Tamsin told her. "People went through a lot to keep you alive. Don't do that again."

"I'm sorry. I was just…" Dagny muttered nervously.

Tamsin sighed and threw her hand out in frustration. "Just...focus, okay?"

Dagny could only nod. She bit back her tears and kept walking.

* * *

The long walking exhausted them out, making their legs sore and their backs hurt. However, they didn't stop.

They had encountered some enemies. Winged monsters, bitter souls, but they weren't so powerful, and the three of them took care of them easily with a few sword slashes.

It was the tedious journey that consumed them and drained them. It made them want to yell, to scream and to cry. All the negative emotions, the deepest thoughts that they had, things that had been buried in the very bottom of their hearts. They all bubbled through, like they wanted to make them insane.

They took a break after having reached another platform between the staircases. Tamsin fumbled with the ground, making sure that it was solid and safe before sitting down. She panted while wiping her sweat off the side of her face with her sleeve. Then, she got the water bottle out and offered the last bit of water to the other two women.

"Mom?" Dagny hesitantly called after taking a sip from the bottle and handed it to Bo.

"What?" Tamsin asked, weariness seeping through her voice.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, but please don't ask me how far we are from the exit," Tamsin growled.

Dagny clicked her tongue and scooted back a little to press her back firmly against the side of the cliff. "Why did you decide to have me?" She popped the million dollar question after a few seconds of silence.

It was something that had been haunting her ever since she found out the truth about her birth. Every time she thought about how she was made and how she was born, something heavy would sit on her chest. She never really had the courage to say it out loud, but now she suddenly did.

"Dagny," Tamsin hissed. "If you are gonna go cray cray right now, I swear to all the Gods I-"

"I am not. I just want to know," Dagny said honestly. "Bo and Kenzi told me about...about what happened to you. I...I just-I just want to know why you decided to keep me."

Tamsin clenched her lips and fisted her hands. Pain rushed back to her. The devastating moments, the despair, the bitter taste that haunted her and that hint of sweetness she desperately clung to but never really had. They all came back to her now, tearing her into pieces. The scars her past had left her were now pried open, bleeding with a numbing anguish.

"Does it really matter why? I just decided so," she answered.

"But, you didn't have to. You could have lived," Dagny said in a whisper. "You...you didn't have to die."

"It was my last life anyway. It wasn't like I was going anywhere or I had anyone in my life," Tamsin said. She knew Bo was sitting right next to Dagny, and she knew she was listening, but with all the things bursting out from her chest, she couldn't care less.

"That's not true," Dagny murmured as she reached out and held her hand. "You could have...you could have just-"

"Well, what do you want me to say, hmmm? That I decided to keep you because I suddenly felt the ray of sunshine of my life shine upon me?" Tamsin said in a low voice. She tried so hard to keep her voice calm, but she failed miserably. "You don't think I ever considered the other option? You don't think I hated how I got pregnant? The truth was, I did. It made me throw up. It grossed me out. At one point, I thought I could just kill you and then kill myself…."

She paused for a long time while holding Dagny's hand firmly. "You want to know why I decided to keep you? Honestly, I don't know...maybe it was because you kicked. Maybe it was because of the heartbeat I heard during the damn ultrasound. Maybe...it was my fucking maternal instinct telling me to keep you. Or maybe, I just thought that you should have a life, you know, a life that would be completely different from mine. There would be no Wanderer, no orders to kill...It would be _your_ life, and mine had already ended when-"

She stopped herself abruptly as she bit back her tears. She wondered if she'd have gone through the same thing if she had been given a second chance. Would she still flying into the flames? Or would she just walk away? Would it make any difference at all? Which one was a better choice? To live her life long and bland, or to tumble in the storm and end it with a bang?

Letting out a deep sigh, she whispered, "I named you Dagny. Do you know what it means?"

"Yeah, it means _new day_ ," Dagny answered her. "I was curious, and I looked it up online."

"Yes, it means new day," Tamsin confirmed. "I thought I could at least give you that, a new day. You'd feel what I've felt, see what I've seen and love what I've loved. It's such a beautiful world, so full of life, and I thought you should be a part of it. I wanted you to be the new day of mine, of yours. I wanted you to become someone I could never be."

She knew she had already said way too much, and it was time to stop talking. She turned away and wiped off a few drops of tears that had escaped from her eyes. "Don't hate yourself for who you are or how you were born, okay? What's done is done, and what happened just...happened. I can't really tell you why I made that decision, Dagny, but don't make me regret that, okay?"

A moment of silence devoured all of them. Dagny nodded and lower her head. She quickly wiped her tears off when Tamsin put her arm around her shoulder and held her firmly.

Hearing an uncomfortable cough from Bo, Tamsin stood up slowly. "I think we better get going."

The other two women agreed and followed her.

* * *

Dyson put his phone to the side with a deep frown. It was the third time he had called Bo, but it seemed that she had gone out of service zone.

He attended a few guests at the bar, before Mark rushed in.

"Hey, we got a lead on that-" Mark tossed a case file fold to him and lowered his voice, "-double murder case."

"Oh?" Dyson picked up the files and stepped back to read them. After quickly skimming through the pages, he murmured, "both of the victims had worked for a Fae adoption agency thirty years ago?"

"Yeah, that's the only connection between them," Mark said. "They both worked for that agency for a couple of years, before they left for better job offers."

"What does this mean?" Dyson furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you checked that adoption agency?"

"Yep, out of business a long time ago," Mark told him.

"We need to track down these people fast, before he finds them," Dyson said.

"What? You think he's targeting that agency's previous employees? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but Bo was adopted a little over thirty years ago," Dyson replied. "Maybe...it has something to do with her?"

He paused briefly, before he said, "speaking of which, have you seen any of them today? Bo, Tamsin or Dagny?"

"Nope, I was at the precinct all day. Why? Something wrong?"

"Probably nothing," Dyson shook his head. He took a glance at his phone, before he put the file folder under the counter. "Just...keep me posted, okay?"

Mark nodded, before he left the bar, leaving Dyson who was lost in his thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N: so the three riddles, only the third one was written by me, and that's the best I could come up with. I just wanted to give a riddle that would stir the old memories of Tamsin. The first two were the original riddles from Greek myth.**

 **I hope everyone likes the bonding moment of Tamsin and Dagny in this chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The rest of the journey of Bo, Tamsin and Dagny was beyond quietly. They were all drowned in their own thoughts while climbing up and down along the stairs in the darkness.

Flying creatures would attack them from time to time, but the three of them defeated them easily. When being knocked off into the abyss, they would screech like souls that was being tortured.

After hours of walking, they had arrived at a bridge. It was formed by wooden panels being held together by thick ropes. It looked a bit decayed.

Tamsin put one feet on it and stomped. The entire bridge started to sway in a dying squeak. She grabbed the rope on one side and pulled it hard. Nothing came off, but everything seemed to be shaking hard.

She sighed and looked around. After finding no other paths, she said, "well, I guess this is it. Let's go."

The other two women nodded at her and followed her.

The bridge swayed along with each step they took. Sometimes they had to grab the rope on the side to wait for it to stop swinging before taking another step forward.

At one time, Dagny screamed when a panel under her foot suddenly slid loose and fell. She was immediately grabbed and pulled back by Tamsin. She panted hard while moving her foot carefully to search for a board to step on.

"What did I tell you about not to die on me today?" Tamsin commented, though her tone was soft. She helped Dagny step away from the empty slot before she resumed walking.

The bridge swung harder when they got closer to the middle. Dagny felt like she was about to be thrown out from it in any second now. She grabbed the rope on the side tightly while walking, and Bo would give her a hand occasionally when there was a panel missing.

Taking a brief break to wait for the bridge to stop swinging, Tamsin leaned against the rope on her left side. She held it by wrapping her left arm around it while pressing her foot down on the wooden board that was in front of her.

It seemed solid, and she shifted her weight on it. She was about to put her other foot on when she heard a crack sound under her shoe.

"Shit," she cursed, immediately clasping her fingers around the rope that she was holding. "Hey, be careful cuz there's a-"

A loud, dull pop sound interrupted her. Then, it was a series of creaks, pops and cracks. The next thing she knew, was that one of the ropes on the other side, one of the main rope that was holding the bridge together, broke.

She reached for Dagny immediately, but as the weight of the entire bridge shifted to the other ropes, they couldn't handle it. The whole thing broke apart. It threw them to the side like a huge swing.

Wooden panels fell down like flakes, making dull sounds when the hit the side of the abyss. The bridge had broken into three parts, one hanging to the side they had come from, one hanging to the other side, and the middle part had fallen into the abyss.

Tamsin held the rope in her hand tightly as she got thrown into the side of the abyss. Air got hammered out from her chest and she let out a painful groan.

"Dagny! Bo!" She yelled in panic when she watched the wooden boards falling into the darkness below her. She moved her flashlight around to search for the other two women, but she couldn't see beyond a few feet away from her.

"Dagny! Bo!" She yelled again, her voice fueled by fear now.

"I'm alright. I'm alright," Dagny's voice came from below, scared.

"Bo?" Tamsin called for the brunette. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Bo's voice came. "I'm fine. I just...I almost didn't make it."

Tamsin let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. She secretly thanked all the deities she knew, before she said, "alright, let's get up there before this things breaks again, okay?"

After the other two agreed, she put her flashlight between her teeth and pulled herself up with both hands on the rope and her feet against the wall of the abyss.

Short, frequent breaths burst out from her mouth as she moved up. Her arms were protesting, and the rope rubbed against her skin, giving her painful blisters.

She gasped hard when she saw the edge of the cliff. She reached one hand out and dug her fingers into the rocky surface. With her breath held, she lifted herself up carefully and moved the other hand to the edge.

Eventually, she got up. She panted with her hands and knees on the ground. "Both of you okay down there?" She asked as she turned around and looked down with her flashlight.

"Yeah," both woman answered her breathlessly.

Tamsin let out a sigh of relief and gasped hard. She tried to pull on the rope to help Bo and Dagny while biting back her painful groans.

Soon, Dagny got up too. She looked just as scared and exhausted as Tamsin was, if not more. She panted for a second or two, before she helped Tamsin pulling Bo up.

"Oh, thank God…" Bo's voice came from down below, "I grabbed the rope before I-"

The sudden pause made Tamsin's heart dangling. "Bo?" She called while pulling the rope with Dagny. "Bo, are you okay?"

The brunette didn't answer her. Not with words at least, but there came a few gasps and painful groans. Then, Tamsin and Dagny noticed that the rope wasn't moving.

Something was pulling the rope down on the other side.

"Bo, are you okay?" Dagny asked after glancing at her mother's worried face.

"Something's-" Bo bit out. "Something's down here. They are-"

Tamsin took a deep breath, before she told Dagny, "do not let go of the rope, okay?"

After getting a firm nod from the young girl, she ran to the side and tied the rope that she had packed with her to the pillar that held the rope of the bridge.

She pulled on it a few times, before she looped it around her waist and held it firmly. "I'm coming down," she announced before she descended.

She knew she was going too fast. She didn't even put on any hand guard against the rope The rope burnt her hand and made her bleed but she bit back her groans and dived down further.

The few seconds of dropping felt like eternity to her, but eventually she saw Bo holding on to the rope with one hand and fighting some shadowy figures with the other.

Tamsin joined the fight immediately, waving her sword at the shadows to knock them away. She had no idea who they were, or what they were, though the screams they let out when being knocked down made her sick.

Bo struggled to get rid of the last one that was clinging to her leg firmly. Tamsin stabbed it multiple times until it let go of Bo.

The brunette let out a painful cry when that thing clawed her thigh. It also pulled off one of her boots, before it fell down.

Both of them looked down into the abyss while feeling the cold sweat on their backs. Then, they turned to each other and nodded at the other person.

"Thanks," Bo said breathlessly while swallowing hard. She looked down at her bloody thigh, before she murmured, "what were those things?"

"I have no fucking idea. I don't really care as long as they are all dead," Tamsin replied as she grabbed Bo's hand and squeezed it gently. "You need to go up, now."

Bo nodded again and started to climb up. Tamsin made sure that she was in her sight the entire time.

Both immediately sprawled on the ground when they got up. They panted, before they looked at each other and sighed with relief.

"How's your leg?" Tamsin asked after glancing at Bo's bleeding thigh.

"I'll live," Bo replied while being taken care of by Dagny. She watched the young girl wrapping her wound and a joke slipped out from her lip. "You know me. One kiss and I'm brand new again."

She cleared her throat uncomfortably immediately after saying that, hating herself for making things awkward

"Yeah well...let's take a 10 minutes break," Tamsin murmured. "I hope there's no more broken bridges."

"Yeah, no kidding," Bo said in a low voice.

Both of them went quiet afterwards, leaving a confused Dagny sitting there wondering what had just happened.

* * *

At first it was just a bright spot afar. Something they'd easily ignore. Something that they considered a trick played by their eyes because they had been walking in the darkness for too long or they are too exhausted, until it got bigger, and brighter, too bright to be ignored anymore.

They knew it was the sunlight coming through the exit. They could smell the scorching sun, the dirt, the trees...every living thing outside.

They cheered excitedly while holding their hands together. They started to pick up their speed. Their hearts slammed against their ribcages in wild joy as they started to run towards the light.

The stairs under their feet became wider, until it merged into a large flat platform. On the other side of the platform, there was the exit.

They could feel the heat of the sunlight now. A warmth that could melt everything. A light that could repel all evil and darkness.

They cheered again and ran towards it, but when they got to the middle of the platform, something heavy flung through the air and landed in front of them, blocking their way.

It was a muscular guy twice as tall as Tamsin. He was bald, looking hideous, with only a piece of tattered garment around his waist. If there was anything of him that would draw people's attention immediately, it wouldn't be his sharp, pointy teeth, or the long scars on his chest. It wouldn't be his skin that was covered in mud, or his feet that looked as rough as the surface of the rocks. It would be his arms, because he had a dozen of them, if not more. Each of them held a heavy weapon, hammer, club, flail, great axe….

He let out a loud battle cry as he stepped forwards towards the three women, casting his shadow on them. Growls hummed in his throat as he looked at them one by one like he was trying to figure out which one was a better prey.

"A Hekatonkheir!" Dagny exclaimed in a gasp. "They are like...the prison guards of Tartarus."

"Wow maybe I should have named you Dagnencyclopedia, " Tamsin said and drew her sword out. She pushed the other two women to the side, just in time to get away from a heavy blow from the giant's great axe.

"Well, I guess he kinda answered my friend-or-foe question," Bo commented after swallowed hard at the big dent the axe left on the ground. She unsheathed her dagger and prepared to fight.

She dodged a hammer, and snuck behind the enemy. Before she got close enough to him, though, one of his arm came at her immediately like it was able to see her. It swung a club at her, knocking her back.

Feeling like all the things insider her was now upside down, Bo pressed her hand on her stomach and coughed before she picked up her dagger that she had dropped. She dashed at the giant again, but had to roll to the side when a flail almost hit her head.

"Stay away from the edge!" Tamsin warned her and Dagny after she had caught Dagny before the young girl slipped off from running away from the giant's attack.

"Well it's kinda hard to stay away from anything when his arms are like everywhere!" Bo yelled.

"Just...don't fall!" Tamsin ordered. She rubbed her chin against her shoulder as she jumped back to avoid being hit by a spiky club.

She tried to come up with a strategy, but most of the strategies she had known were designed to fight someone with two arms instead of twenty of them. With the giant's arm waving around himself with all those weapons, she couldn't even get near him. And even if she did, a slash from her sword or a simple stab might just send him into a frenzy mode.

She knew she needed an opening with a fatal blow to kill him, but how could she penetrate the net of heavy weapons? It was impossible, unless-

She raised her head and looked at the giant's bald head. A plan came to her. She nodded at Bo, and drew a few circles in the air at her. The brunette nodded back firmly before sprinting to the other side.

Bo taunted the Hekatonkheir while running around on the platform, making him follow her in circles. The giant turned away from Tamsin and Dagny momentarily.

"Gimme a lift," Tamsin told Dagny.

The young girl was confused at first, but she quickly followed when Tamsin made a brief demonstration for her.

She locked her hands together and laid them flat in front of her so Tamsin could step on it.

Tamsin sprinted towards her, and jumped. Her feet landed on Dagny's hands and the young girl pushed her up with every bit of strength she had to give her the lift she needed.

Tamsin turned her torso in the middle of the air. Bo drew the giant close to her, and she landed on his shoulder.

Clinging to his neck, she thrust her sword into the back of his head before he could react.

The giant let out a loud cry of anguish. He swung his arm, trying to hit Tamsin, but his wounded brain wouldn't allow him to. He stumbled around, trying to hit the other two women, but he could no long aim.

After bashing his weapons at the ground and the walls, he fell down on his knees.

Tamsin jumped off before his body dropped down to the ground. After he had stopped twitching, she let out a deep breath and high fived with Dagny. Then she gave Bo a smile, and the brunette smiled back exhaustedly.

"Let's go," she said as she dragged Bo and Dagny to the exit. She shoved the young girl out first, before she gave Bo a push.

Bo couldn't leave, though, when a heavy blow knocked both of them away from the exit. When they got up, they saw two Hekatonkheires standing in front of them, blocking the exit.

They looked just like the one they had just killed, tall, bulky, bald and ugly. One of them had a huge scar across his face, like someone had tried to cut his head into half. The other one had a big growth on the side of his neck, which almost looked like he had a deformed second head.

"How many of these damn things are there?!" Tamsin yelled and raised her sword again.

"Three, I think there are three of them," Dagny answered her as she ran back inside. She lowered her head as a broadsword waved at her. Then she jumped up to avoid the axe that was aiming at her shin. She came to Tamsin and Bo's side and added, "triplets, I think."

"Why are you back?!" Tamsin hissed at the young girl. "Why didn't you stay outside?!"

"I can't leave you two in here," Dagny argued while pulling out her push dagger. She looked at it and swallowed hard, because it was about the same size as the giant's finger.

The giants looked at the dead body, shocked. Then, they let out an angry war cry together at them.

"Oh I think he's pissed that we just killed his brother," Bo said while slowly stepping back. She stopped right before she went over the edge. "Same plan?" She asked.

"Same plan," Tamsin agreed. "First the scarface, then the other one."

Bo and Dagny nodded at her. The brunette sprinted across the platform again while yelling at the two giants.

They went after her, but the one with the scar on his face quickly lost interest in Bo and came after Tamsin and Dagny as if he wasn't too thrilled about sharing preys with the other.

"Shit," Tamsin murmured as she parried a blow with her sword. The giant's great hammer broke her blade into half. She jerked to the side, dodged his second attack and picked up a flail.

One glance at where the giant was standing, Tamsin had a plan. She swung the flail at one of his arms that was holding a spiky club, and he took it.

The stud and the chain on of the flail got stuck between the metal spikes. Tamsin pulled hard on the handle, as if she was trying to pull the spiky club off his hand.

The giant hissed at her and pulled back, almost jerking her into the air.

Tamsin turned to Dagny and threw her head at the flail. The young girl came to help her quickly. She grabbed the handle and pulled on it with Tamsin.

The giant tried to attack them with his other weapons, but the flail was long enough for Tamsin and Dagny to avoid his attacks.

Tamsin carefully shifted their position while slowly being pulled forward by the giant. When she saw that the giant was standing really close to the edge of the platform, she whispered to Dagny, "On three, let go."

After getting a nod from her daughter, she counted to three and they both let go.

The giant fell back forcefully with the flail flung to his chest. He tripped over the edge and fell with a loud, furious cry.

"Now we can kill the other one," Tamsin told the young girl before she picked up a broadsword. "Gimme a lift."

She then whistled to Bo, and the brunette nodded back while leading the one with a tumor in circles. Tamsin easily killed him with one blow and watched his body fell.

"Wow, I thought we'd die here," Bo commented as she wiped her bloody nose.

"Let's go," Tamsin said as she shoved the brunette to the exit. After seeing that Bo was out, she turned back for Dagny. She grabbed the young girl's wrist and pulled her forward, but a long, muscular arm reaching out from the abyss grabbed Dagny's shin and pulled her back. Half of the scarface giant's face emerged from behind her.

The young girl screamed and slipped off. Tamsin put her arms around her waist and jerked her away from the giant, but she lost her balance too, and fell off.

There was no time for her to come up with a plan. Not one that both of them could survive. She used every bit of strength she had and threw her daughter back to the platform again.

And she fell down, with the giant. The giant tried to reach for her, and she slashed her weapon at him, thrusting it into his chest.

He howled, throwing everything he had at her. A club hit her, and knocked her to the wall of the abyss. She tried to hold on to something, anything, but it was too slippery.

She bit back her fear and the thought of death while listening to her racing heart. She released her wings in panic, but no feather squeezed out from her skin. They hadn't grown back yet. Her beautiful, strong wings weren't there. The only thing that might save her from the fall weren't there. All she had left were two painful, bleeding nubbins on her back.

She could hear Dagny yelling up there, crying for her to come back. She heard Bo's voice too, shivering, snuffling.

"Just go!" She yelled at them as loud as she could. The echo of her voice was killing her.

 _This is it?_ She asked herself as the darkness surrounded her. _This is what my fucking fate brought me back for?_

She had never been afraid of death, because she had nothing to live for before, but now she had. She had just come back, and she had just seen them again. She was not ready to let go.

She reached her arms out in vain. There was nothing but the air, the darkness and the sound of herself breathing in fear.

Just when she was about to give up all hope, she heard a soft flutter. It was coming at her fast. Before she had figured out what it was, something caught her in the middle of the air.

She was still falling, but her speed was reduced until she eventually came to a stop. It took her quite a while to realize that someone had caught her in their arms.

"Freyja...?" She murmured in shock when she recognized her.

The elder Fae gave her a comforting smile. Her wings flapped behind her, glimmering. "I thought I almost missed," she teased.

Tamsin swallowed hard while squinting her eyes. The sudden joy of being alive left her speechless. She licked her lips as she stared at Freyja's face that was being illuminated by the dim light coming from her wings.

"How-why are you here?" She asked in stutter.

"Stacey and I are doing undercover in Tartarus, remember? When we heard that a Valkyrie's daughter was trying to leave here with her mother and a Succubus, we came as soon as we could. I guess we got here just in time."

Tamsin let out a deep breath, unable to stop herself from shaking now. Her back was drenched in cold sweat. She could hardly feel her legs.

"Alright, let's get you up there first," Freyja told her and started to ascending. She landed on the platform and laid Tamsin down just beside the exit.

Stacey, who stood there, looked at Tamsin. "You owe me one, bitch," she said.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and murmured a "whatever". She sat up and looked around. "Where's Bo? And where's my daughter?"

Stacey tilted her head towards the exit. "I told them to go outside and wait. Better to get two out than none, right?"

Tamsin nodded. She stood up and bumped firsts with Stacey. "Well, thanks."

Stacey raised one corner of her lips and nodded back.

"Alright, we should go back to our undercover mission now," Freyja told her. She held Tamsin's hands in hers and squeezed them gently. "Just go through there and you'll be safe. Take care, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll try that," Tamsin murmured. "Any news down here?"

"Nope, just that Hades is onto something big," Stacey shrugged before she left with Freyja.

"Yeah well, when is he not?" Tamsin murmured as she watched the other two women leave. Then she wiped her chin and dragged herself through the exit.

She was immediately blinded by the sun. It felt painful, and her eyes were screaming. She shielded them with one arm and pressed the other on her cramping stomach.

She panted and looked around. At first everything was just pure white to her. Then slowly, she started to see silhouettes, contours, shapes and colors.

She sat down beside the exit and let herself bask in the warm sun. Bo's voice came to her in overjoyed whimpers, right before she threw herself to Tamsin.

Holding the brunette with her arms, Tamsin looked at Bo's face with her half closed eyes. It was covered in tears, dirt and blood, and one of her eyes was black, but still, it was the most stunning face she had ever seen in any of her many life times.

The brunette hugged her tightly and burst into sobs. "Oh thank God Tamsin. I thought you were fucking-" she slurred and cupped Tamsin's face. Then she giggled as she wiped her tears off her own face. She pinched Tamsin's face like she wanted to make sure the Valkyrie was real. "I thought you were-"

"It's impossible to kill a Valkyrie, well, other than squeezing a baby out of your vagina or whatever," Tamsin joked as she put one arm around Bo's shoulder and pulled her closer.

She felt like every piece of her bones had been crushed and every piece of her muscles had given out, but the warm sun, Bo's voice and her touch gave her life.

Bo punched her for that joke, and Tamsin let out a groan. They both laughed.

"Where's the rugrat?" Tamsin asked.

"She's giving Kenzi a call," Bo threw one of her hands at their left.

Tamsin nodded when she saw her daughter behind the bushes, before she let Bo take care of her wounds. As Bo's fingers slowly traced down her sore arm, she couldn't help but look into those brown eyes again.

Those damn eyes, they were so breathtaking. There were sparkles of tears in them. There was the reflection of the sun flickering. There were shadows, smiles and maybe a thousand words. There was also a tiny version of herself in there, completely bewildered.

She leaned in hesitantly, her heart pounding so hard now that it actually pained her. She placed a hand on Bo's cheek, but stopped herself right before she touched those sweet, sweet lips.

She told herself no. She told herself absolutely no, because she couldn't afford to go through every pain again. One touch, she'd be doomed forever. Her scars would be ripped open, and that excruciating pain would just follow her till the last breath of hers left her.

Though, since when did she ever have the chance to no? How was it possible for her to resist such a moment, when she had just got out from the Hell and was bathing in the sun.

Tamsin exhaled a sigh and inched forward. When Bo's thumb slowly moved against her cheek bone, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips on Bo's.

It started with a hesitant, gentle peck, but ended with both of them leaning in and kissing each other hard.

Tamsin thought they'd both die from the heat of the kiss and oxygen deprivation, or maybe their hearts would quit beating soon because they were going crazily loud, but a deliberate cough from Dagny interrupted them.

They quickly pulled away from each other and withdrew their hands, before they turned to the young girl nervously.

"Umm, we probably should...get going cuz Kenzi's...she's like...really worried," Dagny explained to them while raising her cellphone at them. "She ummm...cooked a lot of food for us, so…."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Tamsin got up, but immediately fell back down because her legs were too sore.

"Here, let me," Bo offered as she put one of Tamsin's arms around her shoulder and helped her stand up. She put one arm around the Valkyrie's waist to support her.

They limped together after Dagny and quietly walked through the woods. When they arrived at the side of the road outside the woods, Dagny called Kenzi again with their location.

They waited for Kenzi to come over and pick them up. They all tried to make a conversation, but neither had successfully made one last longer than five minutes. Dagny ended up texting, while Bo and Tamsin remained completely quiet.

Both of them were trying to deal with the heat from the other person's body, their exploding hearts and their clenching stomachs.

That rush of flutter in their chests, it was so strong and so hot. It was painfully real. It scared the hell out of them. It made them look away while fisting the other person's jacket.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, a bit Valkubus moment! Hope everyone likes it :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

On their way home, Kenzi gave them a teary lecture of how they should behave, why they should have told her about going to Tartarus before actually going and how worried she had been. Dagny nodded at every sentence Kenzi said while Tamsin rolled her eyes at each.

When they got home, they dragged their sore bodies to the dining table and waited for Kenzi to distribute food, but the petite woman gave them a second round of lecture with her waving arms, falling tears and tight hugs.

She finally served them food, and they all ate like they had never seen food for ages. Dagny and Tamsin fought for the last chunk of pot roast with their forks until Kenzi settled it by cutting it into half.

They all lolled on their chairs after they had finished eating. They all knew that their hair were tousled in blood, sweat and dirt, that their faces were streaked and that their clothes stank of Tartarus, but no one wanted to move. No one could because they had used the last bit of strength eating.

"I got some gifts for all of you," Kenzi announced as she took out a few bracelets.

"Really...I thought we were gonna get grounded, instead we get gifts?" Tamsin pulled her lips into a smirk as she stared at Kenzi.

The petite woman slapped her shoulder playfully, before she laid the bracelets on the table in front of them.

All three of them grimaced at those bracelets, because they looked cheaply made. They looked exactly the same, with nothing but a few dull brown threads braided into a loop and a small, pale charm dangling in the middle. The charm was about the size of a dime, and it looked like it was made of some sort of bone chip with a lot of wear and tear.

"I don't wanna wear that, Mama Kenzi," Dagny complained.

"Well, young lady, you have to," Kenzi told her as she put one on Dagny's wrist. Then, she forced the other two women wear theirs.

"You better explain this, shortstack," Tamsin growled while looking at the bracelet like it was a chain that had taken her freedom away.

"Consider it as an alarm system. Dyson got these for everyone. The charm is going to glow when anyone who is not in their original form comes near."

"An alarm for my father," Bo murmured.

"Yep. If Hades ever shows up in someone else's form, we'll know." Kenzi said. "I tested with Dyson. Lit up like a freaking torch whenever he was close by."

Tamsin and Bo looked at each other, and shrugged. Then, Bo frowned at Kenzi and said, "how did Dyson-why did he get these for us? Because of Dagny's recent encounter with Hades? I don't think we have told him yet." She immediately turned to Dagny and added, "have you already told him?"

The young girl shook her head.

"Then he shouldn't know about Hades escaping from Tartarus, should he?" Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows. Then, she straightened her body and hissed, "did he come already? Did he do something while we were gone?"

"Well..." Kenzi hesitantly hummed. "Yeah...Dyson and Mark got this case where two people were murdered. They think it was him. So far, no solid clue of where he is right now or why he killed them."

"And you didn't tell us this on our way home but you spend like two hours lecturing how we should have told you stuff before we did it?" Tamsin growled.

"As I said, no solid clue of anything yet. They are still working on it," Kenzi told her. "Why don't you ladies go upstairs, get yourself a shower and we'll talk about the case the first thing tomorrow morning?"

* * *

Tamsin took her time in the shower to relax her muscles. Then she picked out the most comfortable outfit to wear - a pair of gray sweatpants and a white, baggy t-shirt. She dried her hair and got out of her room for a bottle of drink.

In the hallway, she bumped into Bo. They nodded at each other, before they both licked their lips, smiled awkwardly and then looked away.

"So...ummm..." Tamsin murmured, rubbing the bottom of her right shoe against the floorboard while picking at her nails with her head lowered.

"So...yeah…" Bo muttered, and then she stared at the corner of the ceiling as if it was the most interesting view in the entire world.

Both secretly yelled "thank fucking Gods" when Kenzi came out from Dagny's room and broke the silence.

"She's asking for you," Kenzi told Tamsin as she tilted her head at the half shut door to Dagny's room.

Tamsin nodded and went in. She closed the door behind her before she let out a deep breath.

Dagny was already in her bed, tucked under her Norwegian horse pattern blanket. Half of her face was buried in it too. She rolled to her side and looked at Tamsin in the dim light.

Tamsin sat down beside her bed and raised her eyebrows at Dagny. "You have something that you wanna tell me?"

The young girl nervously squirmed and looked away with guilt written all over her face. "I'm sorry," she murmured in a low voice. "I shouldn't have trusted him."

Tamsin sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Dagny. None of us are mad at you. We were worried, if anything. You could have at least told one of us about the mysterious phone call you received in Valhalla."

Dagny nodded and looked down. "I was so stupid. I gave him the shoes. I let him walk out from Tartarus. I almost got myself trapped down there forever, and…."

"Well," Tamsin murmured as she gently patted the back of Dagny's hand. "It's not the end of the world. Not yet at least."

"I can't believe I fell for his trap. It was so stupid," Dagny murmured in a guilty voice. "I shouldn't have...I thought it was-I was just trying to-"

"-help someone in need, I know." Tamsin told her while squeezing her hand, "and I'm proud of you."

Dagny paused in surprise. She stared at Tamsin for a second or two, before a smile bloomed on her face. She raised herself on her elbows and beamed, "really?"

Tamsin nodded firmly as she pinched the young girl's face playfully. "Really."

Turning away from Dagny who were speechless, she let out a light sigh and continued, "you know...before you were born, Hades imprisoned me and...told me that he was going to make sure that you grew up as his little general."

"I won't," Dagny bit the words out.

Tamsin smiled and gently stroked her hair. "That was exactly what I told him. I said that he could suck it if you grew up anything like Bo."

She paused for a second or two as she gazed into the young girl's light eyes. "You grew up exactly like what I expected you to be," she said softly, "and I'm really proud of you."

Dagny blushed a little and nodded again. In silence she held her mother's gaze. She had never seen her like this, soft, warm, with a genuine smile on her face. It was exactly what she had pictured before. It was what she had dreamed about before. Her mother, sitting by her bed, talking to her, stroking her hair.

She lowered her head and let out a nervous chuckle. Then, she looked at Tamsin again and asked, "do you think...I might become a monster or something?"

Tamsin frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"It's...it was the power surge inside me like...I couldn't control it. What if…."

"It's normal," Tamsin told her. "You've been experiencing your power for the first time. It was something you had never experienced before. I wouldn't expect you to feel in control."

"It was...scary," Dagny finally admitted in a barely audible voice.

"I know. The first time is always the worst. It always feels like that you are no longer in control of yourself, like there's a beast inside you that's trying to get out, like...you are the beast."

"You felt the same way when you first experienced your power?" Dagny asked curiously.

"Yeah," Tamsin nodded. "It was...terrifying." She bit her lips into a tight smile as she unconsciously tapped her fingers on the edge of the bed. "I remember it was ummm...I was still in Valkyrie High and one night, it just happened. I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking I was gonna get torn into pieces. One minute it was too cold, the next it was hot as hell. I remember seeing my face change in the mirror, and it scared the shit out of me, you know?"

Dagny chuckled and nodded.

"There was something inside me that I couldn't control, and it made me feel-"

"-helpless," the word that Tamsin was going to say burst out from Dagny's mouth.

Tamsin nodded. "Then, it got worse. For days I couldn't sleep at night because the damn wings were trying to get out. It tickled as fuck and it was so painful like my bones were crushed or something…."

"I had back pain too. It was pretty bad," Dagny said as she sat up. She reached to her back and touched one of her shoulder blades. "You think that was my wings doing it?"

"I think so," Tamsin told her. "It was probably your wings. They were trying to grow out."

Dagny nodded. She picked up a mini Valkyrie figure that was on her nightstand and held it between her fingers. After tracing her index finger along the wings for a while, she murmured, "I saw myself in the mirror too. I looked hideous when I changed."

Tamsin couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "You looked fine, okay?"

"I had these red eyes and my skin was like...I looked like a ghost."

"You think I look any better in my true form? I look like a fucking rotten skeleton, okay?" Tamsin said, and Dagny chuckled.

"So...I'm not gonna become a monster or something, right?" Dagny asked again in a low voice.

Tamsin sighed. She held Dagny's hands in hers and squeezed them gently. "No, you won't. The look of your true form, or the powers you'll have, doesn't really matter. At least not to me, or to Bo or Kenzi. You'll learn to control your power. You are born this way."

"You think so?" Dagny asked while poking the nose of the Valkyrie figure.

"Yeah, you'll be confused at first, but eventually you'll learn to control it. That's the Fae way," Tamsin reassured her with a firm voice.

Dagny nodded while turning the figure in her fingers. "So...what exactly am I?"

"That I have no idea, but we'll figure it out," Tamsin told her. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay," Dagny nodded.

"As for now, you need some sleep, and…" Tamsin tucked her hand under the young girl's pillow. She pulled out Dagny's push dagger and held it by its tip. "...maybe some serious combat training too.I don't hate push daggers, but I don't think this is the right weapon for you. At least not your primary weapon."

"What do you think is the right weapon for me then?" Dagny asked curiously.

"I don't know for sure right now, but you can try some different things out first," Tamsin answered. "I have a feeling that you'd prefer a larger weapon, a greatsword, a spear, or maybe...a ranged weapon, like a crossbow."

"I've always wanted to try out bows and crossbows, but everyone's like so busy and they didn't have time for me," Dagny grunted.

"I could help you with that," Tamsin told her sincerely.

"You would?!" Dagny exclaimed with her eyes wide open.

"Yeah, why not?" Tamsin shrugged. "I've trained a lot of people before. You don't think I can handle you?"

Dagny let out a few silly, happy giggles as she gave Tamsin a firm hug. After she pulled back, she took her push dagger from Tamsin's hand and squeezed its grip. "I saw you and Bo kissing," she murmured.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "That was just ummm..." She muttered. "That was nothing. We were just happy to be alive. It was just...she was happy to see me getting out of the hell hole alive, and I was happy to see her in one piece. So we...ummm, we kissed. It was no big deal."

Dagny nodded, though the look on her face told Tamsin that she didn't buy it at all. She licked her lips before she hesitantly asked, "are you still in love with Bo?"

Tamsin choked. She thought she should just tuck her daughter under the blanket and say goodnight, but a part of her wanted to talk. A part of her wanted to talk about everything that had happened between Bo and her. She had never thought she'd want to have this conversation with her own daughter, but somehow it felt right. Somehow it felt natural, peaceful, like something she had always wanted to do, like something she had been waiting for.

After letting out a deep sigh, she answered honestly, "I don't know. It's just...complicated."

 _Yeah_. She thought. _It's just so fucking complicated_.

Was she still in love with Bo? It was a question she had asked herself over and over ever since she had come back. She didn't have the answer for it. Maybe she didn't want to answer it, or maybe things had just gotten too weird for her to even try.

Sure, she still loved to see her face, her smile, and her eyes. She still cherished every moment with her. She still enjoyed the harmless flirts and her very presence. She still cared deeply about Bo. But, was she still in love with her?

The sizzling heat of wanting to have Bo to herself had cooled down. The agonizing bitterness of not being able to have her had eased. The burning flames and the bright flashes were gone, leaving only embers behind. Sparks and flares, they were still there, but they had changed. They were hidden, buried deep, burning slow and steady, but they were there.

Sometime she wondered if she should give herself a chance to move on, because she seemed to have been stuck there for too long. Though, she had no idea if she could move on even if she forced herself to. What could she move on to? Who could she move on to? Who else in the world could destroy her and complete her at the same time, like Bo?

Bo was whom she had sought for all her life times, yet she couldn't have her. There was no other. She was the only one.

"You know," Tamsin murmured. "I don't know, Dagny. I still care about her. I care about her a lot. If I have to die for her, I will not think twice. She's the love of my life, but…well…."

Dagny nodded. After a long pause, she said, "I had a girlfriend once."

Tamsin narrowed her eyes at her. "Ummm, is this where we are supposed to have the long conversation about dating safety, safe sex and shit?"

"I had that conversation with Kenzi a few years ago," Dagny told her in chuckles. She went quiet for a few seconds, before she said, "I really liked her, and when we broke up, I cried. It...it hurt."

"It happens," Tamsin tucked a lock of Dagny's hair behind her ear. "And it sucks, but you'll learn to deal with it."

"Was that...love?" Dagny asked.

"How the hell do I know? Do you feel like it was love?"

"I don't know," Dagny admitted honestly. She pondered for a while, before she asked," What was it feel like loving Bo?"

Tamsin closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She clenched her hands and said, "it was painful, but also sweet. You just want to hold it close, hold it tight and you don't want to let go even if it hurts like hell."

After another deep sigh, she added, "I don't know if I'm still in love with her, but yeah, I probably still am…."

A dull pain seized her heart when she admitted that, but at the same time, it gave her a huge relief. She took a deep breath and gave Dagny a smile. "I think it's time for you to get some sleep now."

Dagny nodded and slid under her blanket again. She reached one hand out from the side and held Tamsin's hand. "Mom?"

Tamsin leaned in. "What?"

"I love you," Dagny told her in a sincere whisper.

As the three words danced in the air softly, tears suddenly welled up in Tamsin's eyes. Those words, they tugged a corner of her heart, giving her body a tingling tremble. Something inside her was moved, clicked, melted, connected, and being put together again all of a sudden.

She knew this was the moment she had been waiting all along. A moment she thought she'd never have. Something she never thought she was capable of having, or worthy of. Something both soft and strong. Something that made her heart race, her palms sweat and her mind in peace.

"I love you too, Dagny," she whispered as she lowered her head to give the young girl a kiss on her forehead.

Suddenly, Dagny was that little baby again. The little baby who had been comfortably swaddled inside the blanket. The little baby who had been tucked in her arms and snoring peacefully. Her baby. Her daughter. Her flesh and blood. Her heart and soul.

She gently traced her the back of her index finger along Dagny's forehead, before she pressed another kiss there. "I love you too, kiddo," she whispered again and smiled into it while feeling the hot burn from her falling tears.

* * *

Unable to fall asleep, Bo decided to get herself a drink downstairs.

On her way down, she saw Tamsin sitting in the couch sipping on a bottle of vodka. The Valkyrie seemed to have a lot on her mind, and she was lost in them.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Bo asked softly.

Tamsin glanced at her with the corner of her eyes while taking a swig from her bottle. "Shouldn't you?"

Bo shrugged and took the bottle from Tamsin's hand. After taking a gulp, she slurred, "Dagny finally asleep?"

"Yep, out like a lamp and snores like a piglet."

Bo chuckled quietly, almost spewing her liquor out. She sat down on the couch and turned to look at Tamsin. Those light eyes of hers, there were flames burning in them.

Bo took another sip, thinking maybe she should say something right now. Maybe to start a casual conversation, or maybe a discussion about her father's agenda. She knew she had to say something, anything. Anything that could stop her from thinking about that kiss that was still lingering on her lips.

"So..." she muttered while handing the bottle back to the Valkyrie.

"So...I guess it wasn't Hades who brought me back after all, huh?" Tamsin started.

"Yeah, it's a good thing, right? You are back, and it's not his plan. It's a good thing," Bo mumbled.

"Yeah...turns out it was my fucking _fate_ ," Tamsin snorted. She downed the last bit of drink in the bottle, and continued, "now I feel like...I guess it's like a second chance for me, right?"

"Well, technically, you shouldn't have died, according to Nyx," Bo reminded her. "So...it wasn't really a _second chance_ , but if you want to think of it that way, yeah I guess you could say that."

Tamsin shook her head and sighed. "Damn I can't believe this, you know. I just..." She murmured, looking at anywhere but Bo's face now. "Dagny's so grown up now. Soon she's probably gonna be taller than me. Can you believe that? Cuz I sure can't believe that I have a daughter now, and she's...she's so damn…."

"Yeah, she's an amazing kid, Tamsin," Bo told her. "I'm sure she'll grow up exactly like you."

Tamsin huffed out a light laugh and lowered her head. She pulled out a half empty bottle from under the couch and took a sip. Then, she knocked the bottom of the bottle against the coffee table repeatedly. "You know, I've never thought I'd become a mother in any of my lifetimes. It just...it just had never occurred to me."

"Well, you are a mother now," Bo held her hand and squeezed it gently.

Tamsin shook her head in a quiet sigh. She clenched her lips for a few times, before she finally said, "I think I'm gonna move out with her."

Being completely caught off guard, Bo opened her mouth but couldn't say a word. It took her a while to finally respond. "You are...what?"

"Moving out, like...find a place for me and her and have some serious mother-daughter bonding time and shit," Tamsin said.

"I...well you don't have to move out to do that, Tamsin. You can do it here," Bo said while wondering why suddenly she felt something heavy dropped on her chest.

"No, I mean, I need a larger place, because I'm gonna give her some combat training lessons and stuff," Tamsin explained.

"We have plenty of rooms here. You can totally train her here. Kenzi and I train ourselves here," Bo argued.

Tamsin pulled her lips into a smile. "I've talked to Dyson. He said Dagny and I could move into his old place. The gym, you know, since he no longer lives there. There's a ring for boxing...and all kinds of other shit set up already. It's...it's the right thing to do, Bo."

"Tamsin..." Bo called as she reached her hand out, but she paused before she touched Tamsin's. Uncomfortably wrapped her fingers around a corner of the couch cushion, she swallowed hard as the word "stay" almost burst out from her lips.

How could she ask her to stay, though? How could she, after she had failed to give Tamsin the only thing that she wanted from her? How could she ask her to stay, when there was probably nothing left here for Tamsin to stay?

Her heart clenched painfully at that thought. She turned away and gulped some drink. She forced those liquid down her clogged throat while biting her tears back.

"Hey, it's not like we are moving to Europe or something. We'll probably be here for dinner every night, since you know, Dagny loves Kenzi's cooking and I can't just raise her on pizza or Chinese food deliveries," Tamsin teased.

"Yeah, sure," Bo nodded while taking a deep breath. "That's umm...probably a good...good idea."

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna...get some sleep," Tamsin murmured as she stood up.

"Yeah, sure," Bo nodded again. She froze when Tamsin placed a hand on her cheek. She thought she'd get a kiss, on her forehead, or maybe even on her lips, but instead, the Valkyrie just brushed her thumb against her cheekbone before quickly withdrawing her hand.

"Good night, Bo," she told her with a smile.

"Night, Tamsin," Bo replied in reflex as she watched Tamsin walking up the stairs. Then, she heard her closing the door.

That sound took all her strength away. A sudden pain violently squeezed her heart, so violently that she thought she'd just cease to exist.

She had never felt such pain. It was like she was about to be torn apart. It wasn't like what she had felt when she had broken Tamsin's heart. It wasn't like what she had felt when she had found out about what Hades had done to the Valkyrie. It wasn't like what she had felt during Tamsin's rising. It wasn't like anything she felt before.

She asked herself if that was Tamsin's farewell to her, and she could no longer pain, it suffocated her. She fisted her hand on her chest and clenched her teeth as she wondered where that pain had come from or what it was exactly.

 _Breathe._ She told herself. _Breathe_.

* * *

 **A/N: a rather emotional chapter, both Tamsin/Dagny and Valkubus. I feel like it's the right time that Tamsin starts to think about the things in her life other than just Bo. She's still in love with her, but I think all the things that happened now make her think that there are other important things in her life, and since it's her last, she's very careful about not to make the same mistake again. How would Bo react to this, though? You'll find out in the next chapter :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The next morning they all gathered at the Dal. Dyson told them about the two murders possibly committed by Hades. They looked at the case files and discussed it, but no one really had any clue of what exactly Hades was after.

Dyson mentioned the adoption agency, and asked Bo if it could have anything to do with her. Bo told him that she had not been adopted through an agency, so it probably had nothing to do with her, but she asked him to dig deeper on the background of that agency just in case.

Then, they discussed what Dagny was, but nobody had a clue on that either. Lauren drew some blood from Dagny and told them that she'd do some analysis in her lab. Then she left in a hurry to deal with Evony who was having a nervous breakdown.

Dagny told her story of being lured and almost trapped in Tartarus while the others were sharing a few drinks. Then, the four of them left the bar and went home.

Tamsin quietly packed her things. She didn't have many anyway since she wasn't back for long. Dagny, on the other hand, had too many things she wanted to take with her. She eventually decided that she'd just take a few boxes of clothes and books over to the new place, and then later she could always come back and fetch more things.

Tamsin carried the boxes into her truck with Dagny. When she came back for the last box, she gave Bo, who sat in the couch looking at her in silence, an awkward nod.

Bo nodded back and clutched the armrest of the couch. She ended up saying nothing but giving Tamsin a smile.

"I...ummm, I guess after I settle down, we'll spend some time doing more research on Hades?" Tamsin proposed.

"Yeah, sure," Bo nodded again.

That was the only conversation they had had after Tamsin had told Bo that she was moving out with Dagny. The air was too heavy and too thick, making both women feel like they were drowning, or suffocating.

Carrying the last box with her, Tamsin closed the door behind her. As the lock latched, she felt that a part of her heart was suddenly gone. There was a hole, a hollow space, a painful dent in her heart. She knew she had left that part in the shack. It would never leave with her. It would just stay in there with Bo forever.

* * *

Kenzi groaned when she heard the loud moans coming from Bo's room. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling while listening to women's soft beggings, men's low growls, Bo's chuckles and the sound of the headboard banging against the wall.

The orgy lasted forever. When it stopped for a moment, Kenzi thought it was finally over, but soon she knew she was wrong, because the group just moved their fun activity downstairs.

 _Please, don't do it on the dining table_. She prayed with a grimace on her face.

Eventually, the loud orgy ended. She heard people leaving, and then the door closing. She quickly got dressed and went downstairs because she was dying for something to drink.

She saw Bo sitting in the couch leaning against the armrest. Her eyes were bright blue, and the only thing she had on was a half torn kimono which barely covered her naked body.

"You were having some serious wild fun, weren't you, Bobo?" Kenzi murmured as she walked into the kitchen to get some food.

"Yeah..." Bo slurred lazily. "It was wild." Though her voice didn't sound thrilled at all.

She rolled to lie on her side, and reached under the couch. She dragged out a half empty bottle and started to drink from it directly. She quickly choked on it and coughed hard.

"Ummm, are you okay?" Kenzi asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bo replied between coughs.

"No, I mean, are you okay in general?"

Bo paused. "Shouldn't I be?"

Kenzi crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I don't know. You tell me. This is like the 3rd orgy you've had for the past 2 days. Aaaand you've consumed almost all of our liquor. Should I be worried?"

"No, of course not. Kenz, I'm fine, really. I'm just...being me, a Succubus. I just wanted a little fun, if that bothers you, I guess I can bring the party elsewhere."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Fine, I guess it's finally the time for me to pop that question. What the hell happened between you and Tamsin?"

Bo choked at that name. Then she tilted her head back and took a huge gulp from the bottle. "Nothing," she said. "Why would you assume that something happened between me and her?"

"So Tam-Tam just suddenly decided to move out? You...had nothing to do with it, at all?"

"What you think I kicked her out or something? I would never do that. You know that, Kenz."

Kenzi groaned. "Then what did you do, Bo?"

"I didn't do anything! Why do you think it had something to do with me?!" Bo exclaimed, beyond frustrated.

"It's Tamsin, Bo. Every decision she makes has everything to do with you."

"Not this time," Bo shook her head. "Not this decision. She just wanted to spend some time with her daughter, you know, because she has a daughter now."

"Yeah, right. She's been back for over two weeks and she hasn't mentioned a single thing about wanting to move out. Then, you two went down to Tartarus for a couple of days, and BAM she's moving out like we got bedbugs."

"Hey, maybe we do have bedbugs," Bo giggled. "I think I have a...something on my back that's kinda-"

She was cut off by a cold stare from Kenzi.

"What. did. You. do?" The petite woman bit those words out.

"Nothing," Bo hissed. "I did nothing!"

She tossed the empty bottle at the trashcan, but she missed it. The glass bottle shattered into pieces, and that made Kenzi roll her eyes again.

Kenzi went to get the broom to clean the glasses, while Bo just sat there staring at the TV screen numbly. "I did nothing..." She repeated in a soft, low voice. "Maybe...maybe I should have done something…."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Kenzi murmured absentmindedly while cleaning.

"I don't know. Do you think...I should maybe call her? Like...talk to her or something?" Bo asked.

"Ummm...I don't know, should you? And what exactly happened between you two?" Kenzi asked. "Please don't tell me _nothing_."

Bo bit her lips and looked down at the floor. "We...we ummm...after we got out from Tartarus, we kissed," she eventually admitted while feeling a rush of burn on her cheeks.

" _We_? As in you and Tamsin?" Kenzi asked, her eyes open wide.

She got a nod from Bo, and that made her groan again. Covering her forehead with her palm, Kenzi exclaimed in great frustration, "what is wrong with you two?! It's been ten years, Bo! Ten freaking years! After all those heartbreaking mess and all those damn tears, what you two just decided that it's time for you to walk right back into it or something?"

Bo groaned too. She let herself drop back into the couch heavily. "It was just-it was just a kiss. We were so happy that we made it out alive, so we kissed. That's all."

"Right, and you and I have been in and out from the hands of Death for how many times now? And when was the last time you've kissed me just because _we were so happy that we made it out alive_? Oh that's right, never. NEVER!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bo protested. "You want me to kiss you? That's kinda gross, Kenzi."

"No, I don't want you to kiss me, and yes that's gross," Kenzi stormed to Bo's side and grabbed her shoulders. She really wanted to shake some sense into her best friend's head, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. "Bo, listen."

"Listening," Bo said in a robotic tone.

"As much as I love you and support you unconditionally, I have to tell you that you've gotta stop breaking Tamsin's heart."

"I didn't! I mean, I did once, but not this time," Bo growled. "It really had nothing to do with me. She just...decided to move out. I guess she just...she got her life back and she got a daughter and everything. She no longer wants to have anything to do with me anymore, like...she doesn't want me in her new life now. "

As those words fell out from her mouth, she felt drained by a sudden, overwhelming sorrow, as if the entire world just fell upon her. It crushed her completely. It took her hopes away. She felt like all of a sudden, she was being punched repeatedly by the things that had happened in her life. Her father, the death of Aife and Trick, her failed marriage, her failed relationship, the hearts she had hurt, destroyed and shattered, the lives she had taken away. Everything.

She turned away from Kenzi as she swallowed her tears back. She had to bite on her bottom lip hard to stop that pathetic whimper from getting out.

"Oh, Bo-bo..." Kenzi sighed as she wrapped Bo's hands with her own. "I guess I'm just gonna ask you that one question I've always wanted to ask you but never did because a. I love you, and b. I thought one day you'd ask yourself eventually."

"Shoot," Bo murmured.

"What exactly is Tamsin to you?"

Bo sighed and shook her head. "That's your big question? That's what you want to ask me?"

"Yeah, tell me, Bo. Tell me honestly, what is she to you?"

"She's a family, and a dear friend."

"Okay, am I a family to you? Am I a dear friend to you?"

Bo nodded at both questions, a bit confused about where Kenzi was going with the questions.

"Alright, so to you, she's just another me," Kenzi concluded.

"No, no, it's not like that," Bo told her. "It's not the same thing. Tamsin is just…."

She stuck there, unable to describe what Tamsin really was to her. She was not another Kenzi, that was for sure, but then what was she to her?

"Tamsin is just what?" Kenzi pressured.

"She's-look, if you want to know if I love her...I do love her, and I care about her, but...it wasn't like-it's not the same way she felt for me."

"Okay, so you are saying that whatever you feel for her is completely not romantic? All platonic then?"

Bo hesitantly nodded. "I guess…."

"Well, we-" Kenzi waved her finger back and forth between herself and Bo. "-are platonic, and that's why you never do face sucking with me."

"Yeah?"

"If what you felt for her was purely and completely friendship, why did you even have sex with her? I mean, how could you do it with someone you consider a friend only?"

"I'm a Succubus, Kenzi. It's what I do," Bo replied. "She offered, and I accepted her offer."

"So...if I offer myself, you'd accept it too?"

Bo grimaced at that idea. "Eww, no, Kenz! That's gross and...and wrong!"

"But, doing it with her wasn't so gross and wrong?"

Bo buried her face in her palms in despair. Being cornered, she hissed, "no, it wasn't! It actually felt pretty great because she's one of the few who can keep up with me in bed. And I thought finally I found someone who could have some no-strings-attached sex with me. Everything was going great, but then she got attached. I had to cut her loose! Are you happy now? If you want to punch me, go ahead."

"Yes I want to punch you, Bo, but not because you broke her heart. I want to punch you because you are a freaking coward," Kenzi told her. " _She got attached?_ You don't possibly think I'd believe that you've never noticed the way she looked at you, not even once? You are a Succubus, Bo! You _know_ when someone is attracted to you. You just do!"

Bo closed her eyes and lay down. She sank into the couch and covered her eyes with her arm. A deep sigh escaped from her throat, as if she had exhaled all the living energy out of her. Memories rushed back to her, making her mind hazy and her heart painful.

"I don't know, Kenzi," she eventually admitted. "At first...I wasn't sure. It was like...she was just fucking...I kind of noticed something, but I wasn't sure. I thought it was just...maybe a casual crush or something. I thought she was a bit attracted to me physically because...I mean, who wasn't?"

Kenzi snorted and pointed at herself.

"I am not saying it as a good thing, Kenz. Sometimes it really confuses me. I just don't know...I just don't know how to read people anymore. Tamsin...she's like a mystery to me. Honestly I just never thought she'd be in love with me. Then, I thought maybe if I pretend that I didn't see it, things would just...resolve naturally later. But then, she told me that she was in love with me, and I pushed her away. After that, things just went down like a fucking shitstorm. I didn't even get a chance to...I sat there and watched her die, Kenzi. She died because of me."

"We were all there, Bo, and no she didn't die because of you. She died because she had nothing left to live for."

Bo sighed again. A few drops of tears slipped out from the corner of her eyes and rolled down into her ear. "I just...I never thought she'd be in love with me. I thought I'd be the last person whom she fell in love with, you know. One minute she hated me and wanted to send me to jail, the next she ran to me and kissed me. How was I supposed to know what she really wanted? How was I supposed to know?"

She paused for a moment as she took a deep breath. "When you left, I felt like my world has crumbled. Tamsin was the only one there for me. She comforted me, and I thought it was nice. You know, I thought it was kinda nice to have someone there with me, kicking bad guys' asses during the day and have some casual, commitment free sex at night. I fucked things up with Dyson and I wasn't ready to go back to Lauren. I thought...I thought at least I could have that. I thought I just should stop having anything serious because...I wasn't capable of it. Everything would be casual and relaxing. At least I wouldn't break her heart."

"But, you did."

Bo shook her head as a dull pain exploded in her chest. She had to force herself to breathe now. "I should have handled it better. It was a trainwreck. I just...when I heard Evony's sad love story, I panicked, because I feared that if I kept things like that any longer, I would eventually turn Tamsin into another Evony. It's like pulling a bandage, you know. You just have to do it quick."

"She would never become another Evony, Bo. She would never hate you, or hold things against you."

"I know," Bo said. "I just...things were so fucked up. I don't even…."

"So let's go back to my original question. What is she to you exactly, Bo?"

Bo stayed quiet for a long, long time, before she said in a soft voice. "I don't know, Kenz. She's just...different. She isn't you. She isn't Dyson, and she's not Lauren either. What I feel for her, is different from what I feel for you, or for anyone else. She's just-there was no other people in my life that has ever made me feel the same way. I do care about her. I care about her a lot. Sometimes I do think about her. And...I missed her a lot when she was gone. I enjoy having her in my life, drinking with her, catching bad guys, sex and everything. She just has this...this energy. She makes me feel…."

"She makes you feel what?" Kenzi asked.

"She makes me feel free, Kenzi," Bo finally admitted. "She makes me feel completely free. I could never be myself around Dyson or Lauren, or anyone else, because...because of my Succubus nature, because of a lot of other things. I could sometimes be myself around you, but not always."

She gave Kenzi a glance and quickly added, "no offense, Kenz."

"Totally non taken," Kenzi squeezed her hand firmly.

Bo pulled her lips into a bitter smile, "but I could almost always be myself around Tamsin. She never judges me. She never gives me this look like I'm not good enough for something. Sometimes I feel like I could tell her all my secrets, you know, because I trust her. It's hard to trust someone like that. I really don't want to lose her."

"Well, no one wants to lose anyone, but sometimes we just can't keep everyone," Kenzi said. "If you can't offer her the things she wants, you should let her go. A little distance between you two might help a lot."

Bo didn't say anything. She didn't even nod or shook her head. She just lay there for a long time, before she eventually said, "you know, when she died, I...I told myself that it was her decision and I should respect that. I tried to put things behind me and I tried not to feel sad, but sometimes I just...I missed having her by my side, you know."

"I can relate to that," Kenzi commented.

"When she came back, I was...I was really happy. I felt like my life was mine again. I felt like everything went back to normal again. I thought things were going fine, but...I guess this is it. It's over. Done."

"Well it's not like she moved to Europe or something. I'm sure she's gonna come over a lot, like stealing my pizza or something."

"No, I'm not talking about her physical presence inside our shack, Kenzi. I'm talking about...this is the end of me and her. She's just…gone."

They both went quiet. Bo found another bottle under the couch. She opened it and took a sip. Then she handed to Kenzi, and the petite woman gulped down some.

"Shit I don't know anything anymore, Kenz. I thought I didn't feel the same for her, because her love for me was...so serious. I wasn't ready for that at all. I wasn't ready for a new relationship back then, because I was so hung up on Lauren. I thought I just should be with Lauren, you know, like it was my destiny or something, like we were meant to be together."

"I say this with all my love and respect to Lauren, but I think it's pretty ridiculous to think that you two were meant to be when you can't even understand a single joke she says."

"Hey, I thought it was hilarious, and cool. You know, we are from two different worlds, and since we really love each other, we'd work everything out eventually and be something together," Bo explained. "I thought chemistry would just fix everything, you know. It would just eventually make our problems go away. Like...aren't people supposed to have to go through shit like that before they have their forever after? It happens all the time in the shows."

"Really? In the shows? You mean where lesbians die from s stray bullet that comes out from nowhere and ugly chicks suddenly become Queen right after they take off their heavy glasses and their hair buns?" Kenzi raised her eyebrows at Bo. "What you think the problems between you and Lauren would just magically go away after each of you sleeps with your exes for 5 times, a plane crash or a car accident, a surprise pregnancy and a miscarriage?"

"Well I get it now. I mean, I should have realized that a long time ago, when we were on again and off again. I should have realized that. I just...I didn't want to let go, because I thought we could have a future, because we had this amazing chemistry…."

"Chemistry doesn't solve all your problems. It just makes you blind," Kenzi told her.

Bo let out a heavy breath. She paused for a bit, before she whispered, "What am I gonna do, Kenzi? What am I gonna do with Tamsin?"

"You can't just expect me to answer that question for you, Bo-bo. It's something you have to figure out on your own."

Bo squirmed on the couch and sat up a little. She held a pillow in her arms and squeezed it. "You know, when we were in Tartarus, we met this...this Sphinx thing."

"Yeah, I know, Dagny told me about it. He gave you riddles and stuff, right?"

"Yeah, he gave us a riddle about something both bitter and sweet, and how you want the sweetness but always end up with the bitterness. Tamsin...said that the answer was love, and when she answered that riddle, I saw that look in her eyes. It was like that night all over again."

"Which night?"

"The night I told her that I didn't feel the same for her," Bo said. "I broke her heart, Kenz. I destroyed her. I can't possibly fix that one, can I? I mean, even if I fall in love with her right now, even if I tell her that I'm in love with her right now, I could never change what I've already done. It would just feel like I was...pitying her, right?"

"Well are you in love with her?"

Bo let out a loud groan. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't know anything anymore. I just...I think I'm gonna lie down and….think."

"Yeah, why don't you do that, while I do some digging on the Hades murder shit upstairs," Kenzi told her.

Bo nodded and gave Kenzi a hug. Then, she sprawled on the couch and covered her eyes with her hand.

She felt like she was sick. Her body was hot but her hands were cold. Her fingers were trembling, and her head was dizzy. She could hardly breath, and her throat was itchy and dry.

What exactly was love? She asked herself. Was it the rush of heat that would burn her to ashes whenever she saw someone? Or was that peaceful feeling like she was coming home? Should it be light and fluffy, or should it be filled with tears, pain, and bitterness? Could she be in love with someone without even knowing it? Could she be too scared to even pursue the answer?

She thought she had loved Kyle, her first boyfriend. When she was with him, she felt happy. When she was not with him, she'd miss him. When he died, she cried and felt sad, but, that faded away.

She thought she had loved Dyson. When she was with him, her heart would flutter in joy. When she thought he was no longer in love with her, her heart was filled with pain. That, too, faded away slowly, and had grown into something else. She sometimes still felt the raw desires when she saw him, but she was more than fine to live her life without having him as her lover. So what exactly were they? Lifelong friends? Or maybe something more than that? Could that passion come back if they were in the right pace at the right time? Or it was just a once in a lifetime thing, and it was gone forever?

She thought for sure she had loved Lauren. They had been on again and off again for years. They had been dating, married and divorced. They had travelled around the world and planned their lives together. They had even talked about having children together, even though it didn't go anywhere. She still cherished every sweet moment she had with Lauren. There was probably still a rush of passion whenever they saw each other. They did love each other, but why didn't they get their happy ever after? How could a love like that not work out? Why did they keep breaking up with each other? What exactly made them break up over and over? Was it the difference between them, like Lauren was a doctor and a genius but she was just a highschool drop out? Or because Lauren was too neat and she was too messy? How could things so insignificant broke them up? Why couldn't they work them out? Because she didn't love Lauren enough to compromise? Was it because the lack of trust between them? Or was it because they were who they were, and they were never meant to be?

She then wondered, what exactly was "meant to be"? What exactly it was that could determine if a relationship would work out or not? Was love not enough?

What was love anyway? She went back to her very first question. Was it something beyond the chemistry? Was it the instant attraction that she felt when she saw someone for the first time? Or should it be more like a bond slowly built between two people who had always been there for each other? Should it feel more like a flash, a blast, like her sexual desires, burning, blazing and exploding? Or should it feel more like a blanket, comforting, safe, and warm? Should it be both, or maybe, it was something completely different?

Had she really had it at all? Was it all her illusion and self hypnotizing? Did she ever really love anyone? Was she ever loved? People who loved her, what exactly did they love? Her looks? Her Succubus power? Her personality? Her heart? Had she not been a Succubus, would they still have loved her? Had she not been so attractive, would they still have loved her? Would they even bother to spend enough time around her to know her?

Why did Tamsin fall in love with her? How could she fall in love with someone like her? Tamsin was such a strong, powerful Fae. She had lived for thousands of years. She had seen nations rise and fall. She had seen land change and oceans dry out. She had seen everything. She was incredible. Why would she love her?

Her mind went back to the moment when Tamsin was drunk and in her tub with her clothes on. She had said a lot of beautiful things to her, so sincere that it had given her an actual pain. She told her that to her she was perfect. Perfect? How could she think that she was perfect? She couldn't even stay faithful to her lovers. She couldn't even figure out what love was or if she was capable of it, yet Tamsin thought she was perfect.

Would she still think she's perfect, after all the things she had done? Was she still in love with her? That kiss, did it mean anything? But, Tamsin decided to let go, to move on, to live without her.

Tamsin had given up on her because she couldn't reciprocate. Or could she? Did she really feel nothing, or she was just too afraid so she pushed everything away?

Bo felt like she had forced herself into a corner, and now she couldn't get out. Her love life was a complete mess. Herself was a complete mess. Love, it should be something so simple, yet it confused her so much that she started to cry like a helpless child.

Tears rolled down along her cheeks silently. They choked her, gagged her, making her sob. She clutched her chest because there was this pain in there, so strong that she couldn't handle.

 _Why does it hurt so bad?_ She asked herself as she inhaled hard. _Why?_

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is solely for Bo. I hope I've explained clearly enough on my opinions on this character. I feel that all the "loves"/"lovers" she had in the show came so easily. There were fundamental issues that they never really addressed or even tried to, yet they claim that's true love. True love isn't just about chemistry. One can't love someone based on lies and mistrust. Chemistry can only go so far, and beyond a certain point, there has to be something more than just the sparks to make a relationship last. And that's why in real life, after a 6-20 month marker, a relationship either falls apart or advances. The "true love" in shows can be very misleading sometimes.**

 **I am not saying that Bo is in love with Tamsin right now (although she might already be, because it can be confusing sometimes), but I think after all those failed relationships she had, she'd really think about what's there for her, and what love really is. As a Fae, she's really young. She also has a traumatizing past. I think it's reasonable that she might have misunderstood the concept of love. She "falls in love" so quickly, because she's a Succubus, and because she feels so lonely that she's willing to hold on to anything, or anyone, that could make her feel that she's not alone. And i real life, we experience the same thing. We think that we really love someone, and we can't live without them. Then, after we are really over them, we meet someone new and realize, "oh, turns out this one is my true love, but all the past relationships weren't".**

 **Not every true love come as love at the first sight, and not all love at the first sight works out in the end. Sometimes, it's like a trial and error process. A heart is broken multiple times before the right person shows up, and the right person would put all the pieces back together :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Awakened by Dagny's groans, Tamsin quickly got off her bed and rushed into the other bedroom. As she opened the door, the dim light silhouetted a curled Dagny who wrapped herself in her blanket in bed. She was trembling while short bursts of breath left her mouth rapidly.

"It's happening again, huh?" Tamsin asked softly and sat down beside her daughter's bed. She placed one hand on Dagny's forehead gently.

Dagny was burning up. Her crimson eyes lit up in the darkness like two clusters of bright flames.

Tamsin turned on the bedside lamp. She held Dagny's hand in hers and stroked her hair. The young girl's hair color altered between blonde and raven. Her face was pale as a sheet of paper.

"Have you taken any painkillers?" Tamsin asked.

Dagny nodded slightly. "It's not really...the pain," she forced those words through her clenched teeth. "It's the...power inside me. I think I'm gonna...explode."

"You won't," Tamsin told her as she squeezed her hand firmly. "Just breathe."

Dagny nodded again while trying to even her breath. She swallowed hard and let out a hum of painful groan. "My...my back," she murmured. "It hurts."

"Let me see," Tamsin suggested as she helped Dagny to roll over. She lifted the young girl's monster pattern pajama shirt all the way up until her shoulder blades were revealed. There she saw two bleeding spots, one under each shoulder blade. There were no visible wounds, but the blood just found a way to get through Dagny's pale skin. They looked like two messy blossoms on her back.

"You are bleeding again," Tamsin told Dagny honestly. "A lot heavier than last time."

"W-what does that mean?" Dagny asked as she struggled to turn her face sideways.

"It means that your wings are growing fast and they are about to come out," Tamsin told her.

"Oh," Dagny nodded.

"I'm gonna go get a towel, and some ice, okay?" Tamsin told her.

Dagny nodded again. She held her pillow in her arms and squeezed it hard to ease the tension of power surges ravishing inside her body.

Tamsin went to the bathroom to get a clean, drenched towel. She placed it on the nightstand, before she went to the kitchen. She filled two ziploc bags with ice cubes and came back.

She cleaned Dagny's back with the towel first. Then, she put the ice bags on the bleeding spots and ordered Dagny to lie still on her stomach.

Dagny closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She squirmed and let that cold sensation sink in. It seemed to have given her a temporarily relief.

"This sucks," she complained breathlessly as she wiped the sweat off the side of her forehead with her sleeve. "It's worse than having a period."

"Of course it's worse than that," Tamsin told her. "You are changing. Everything inside you, every part of your body is going through major changes. You are becoming a Fae. Once this is over, you are gonna have your powers."

The idea seemed to have cheered Dagny up a little. Though, she immediately pouted. "I wish I knew what kind of Fae I was...I hope it's not something stupid."

"Hey, stupid or not, at least you'll have wings," Tamsin reminded her, and Dagny nodded in a giggle.

A few second later, the strong rush inside her came again. She gripped Tamsin's hand tightly as if she was trying to break it. Her other hand dug into the sheets and fisted it.

"Breathe. Think about something else. Don't focus on the pain, or the power inside you," Tamsin told her firmly.

Dagny nodded, though she wondered how the hell she could think about something else when every piece of her bones was being torn apart, when her skin was burning and when her head was hammered by a pounding headache.

When the rush temporarily faded, she struggled to flip over and looked at Tamsin. "Did it feel the same when you...when you were going through changes?"

"More or less the same," Tamsin answered. "For me, it was the same back pain, less fevers, more facial changes."

"How long would this last?" Dagny asked.

"Mine started like once every couple of days, then it was like once or twice everyday for about a week. When I finally got my wings out and my true form revealed, the nasty shit was all gone."

"Really? All gone?"

"Well, for a while at least. It'll come back once in awhile during the first few months, but it won't be as bad," Tamsin explained and patted the back of Dagny's hand gently. "The first time is always the worst. And since this has been going on for five nights in a row now, I'd say it'll probably be over soon."

Dagny nodded again, and then immediately clutched the corner of her pillow when that rush of power came back to her again.

The waves of power surge lasted for several rounds, and Tamsin was there with her the entire time. When it had finally stopped, they looked at each other exhaustedly and smiled.

"I think I'm gonna take a shower and...maybe skip school tomorrow," Dagny told Tamsin weakly before she got off the bed.

"Yeah," Tamsin agreed. She quickly got out a set of clean beddings and changed them for Dagny. After throwing those sweat drenched ones into the washer, she said, "I'm gonna go get some sleep too. When you wake up, if you feel like it, we can try out some weapons."

"That'll be awesome," Dagny beamed. She hesitantly called Tamsin again right before Tamsin left the room.

Tamsin turned to her. "You need something else?"

Dagny shook her head as she pulled the hem of her clothes nervously. "Can I-can you stay?"

Tamsin raised her eyebrows. "You mean, like _sleeping in the same bed with you_ type of stay?"

Dagny nodded.

"Sure," Tamsin shrugged. Then she frowned at Dagny's full size bed and added, "but can we stay in my bed cuz it's larger?"

Dagny nodded again with a chuckle. She quickly got a shower, and went to Tamsin's room.

Jumping into Tamsin's king size bed, she giggled sillily while wrapping herself in the blanket.

"Hey, be quiet and go to sleep," Tamsin warned her.

Dagny squirmed and finally decide to lie on her stomach because her back was still a bit sore. "Hey mom," she murmured, half of her face buried in the pillow.

"What?" Tamsin asked with her eyes closed and her hands rested on her stomach.

"I don't know how I'd go through this without you," Dagny said sincerely.

"Well, I'm sure Kenzi or Bo would do exactly what I did," Tamsin replied softly. "They'd hold your hand and maybe even read you a bedtime story or something."

"Would you read me bedtime stories?" Dagny teased.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Not when you are almost as tall as I am, missy," she drawled.

Dagny let out a few chuckles as she stared Tamsin in the darkness. "Have you..." She murmured, "have you like ever...thought about what it would be like if you were the one who raised me?"

Tamsin frowned as she turned to look at Dagny. The young girl's eyes still had flickers of red in them. "You mean like...raise you from a baby?"

"Yeah," Dagny nodded and moved closer to Tamsin's side.

"Gods, I have no idea what it would be like. I imagine it would be a nightmare since I have no idea of how to take care of a baby. You know, Valkyries are good at a lot of things, but not babies, nope. We weren't even designed to raise our babies."

"Have you...heard of any Valkyrie who had a baby before?"

"Nope, never," Tamsin said, shaking her head. "I mean, there was always a rumor or two, about some Valkyrie who none of us really knew of, who had a baby or whatever, but...I don't know if those were real. It's just...none of us really ever talked about. It wasn't just the fear of death. It was more like...it was hard enough for a Valkyrie to even think about having a kid with someone, not to mention that she would never be in her child's life…."

She went quietly for a long time, before she whispered, "I'm...really grateful, you know I get to see you again and…."

She took Dagny into her arms and gave her a firm hug. "You are a amazing kid, you know? Kenzi raised you well. I don't think I'd have done a better job than her," she commented.

"Yeah, Kenzi also said I was the very reason she'd never have her own kids," Dagny said as she hugged Tamsin back. "She says that she has changed too many diapers and fed me for too many times at around 2 am and now she still wakes up at that time almost every day. "

Tamsin laughed. "Yeah I guess that part never gets easier, does it? I mean even now you still wake me up at 2 am."

Dagny smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed now. "I'm really happy that you are back," she said. "I've always wanted to meet you."

Tamsin sighed softly and stroked Dagny's hair. "Well I sure hope I didn't disappoint then."

Dagny chuckled. She snuggled to her mother's side and reached her arms out awkwardly. Then, she hesitantly wrapped them around Tamsin's body and held her like she was holding an oversized stuffed animal.

She stayed like that for a long time, and Tamsin thought she was already asleep, but then Dagny whispered softly, "hey...mom…."

"What now?" Tamsin asked.

"Don't you worry about Hades..." Dagny slurred in a low, almost inaudible voice right before she fell asleep. "I will protect you…."

Tamsin snorted, though tears quickly welled up in her eyes. She huffed out a light laugh and wiped the first few drops of tears that had escaped, but more poured out.

It wasn't the first time someone had said that to her, but never in her life had she expected that from her own daughter. All of a sudden, her chest was filled with joy, tears, happiness and pain. She couldn't breathe.

* * *

Holding a greatsword up with both hands, Dagny slashed it at the dummy that was standing by the side of the boxing ring in the gym. She did not expect the inertia to be so strong, though, and when the blade moved away from her body fast, a great force pulled her forward. She stumbled, trying to fight it, but only made it worse. She eventually ended up staggering in a circle, knocking one dummy down, hitting the other dummy with her shoulder and then tripped over on the fallen dummy.

She grabbed the ropes of the ring to stop herself from landing on the floor on her face. The greatsword had been dropped beside her.

Tamsin couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Are you okay?"

"I'm such a clumsy mess!" Dagny exclaimed, feeling upset.

"You just need some practice," Tamsin told her. "And don't worry, greatsword is never my first choice of weapon anyway."

"What's your first choice of weapon then?" Dagny asked curiously.

Tamsin pulled one corner of her lips up into a smirk as she walked to the weaponry chest that was in the corner of the gym. "Normally I just go with the classic," she explained as she picked up a regular sword. "For example, a sword," she raised it in her right hand and examined the edge of the blade briefly. Then she took down a heater shield from the wall and wielded it on her left arm. "And a shield."

"So a regular sword and a shield is better than a greatsword?" Dagny asked as she sat down on the floor. She crossed her legs in front of her and leaned forward.

"I wouldn't say that. It depends on how you define 'better'," Tamsin explained. "Here's the things I like about one-hand swords," she swiftly turned her wrist and wave the blade in the air. "It's lighter, easier to carry and it does great damage."

She stepped forward to the dummy. "You can stab," she elaborate as she thrust the blade at the dummy. "Or slash," she charged at the dummy and slashed her blade at the thigh of the dummy. "Or hack!" She jumped and turned her torso in the air, before she swung her sword at the dummy's neck.

After having landed, she raised her shield. "Having a one-hand weapon means you can a, do dual wielding, or b, have a shield. I don't normally recommend dual wielding to starters, because it requires a lot of skills. You'd have to be really good at parrying and dodging to avoid getting injured in a fight. For beginners, I think a shield would be better."

She stood in front of the dummy, and moved one of her feet back a little. She bent her knees while raising her shield to cover her head, as if someone was attacking her from above and she was trying to block it. "You can protect yourself with it, of course," she said.

Then, she straightened her body, spun around and smited her shield at the side of the dummy's head. "You can also use it to hit your enemy too. In fact, some heavy shields can do a lot of damage if you use it right."

She handed the sword and the shield to Dagny to let her try them out. "Anyway, this is a nice combination for starters."

Dagny waved the sword in her hand and tried to attack the dummy with it. Then, she tried hitting the dummy with the shield. "You said it would depend on how I define 'better'," she murmured. "So sometimes a greatsword might be better?"

"Well, greatswords allow you to do higher damage, simply because it's bigger and heavier," Tamsin explained as she picked up the greatsword from the floor. She lowered her elbows and raised it in front of herself as she stared at Dagny.

Dagny raised the shield and leaned forward a little. She moved her feet apart, and raised her heels slightly, preparing to take Tamsin's attack.

"There's one thing that a heavy weapon like a greatsword is good at. Do you know what it is?" Tamsin asked with eyebrows raised.

Dagny shook her head and raised her shield a little higher nervously.

Tamsin smirked and charged at Dagny. She slashed her weapon at Dagny's sword. She disarmed her with a single blow. Dagny's sword was knocked out from her hand and it got flung all the way to the corner of the room.

"That," Tamsin said.

A little stunned, Dagny stood there, looking at her empty hand, then at Tamsin, then at her sword that was now in the corner of the room and bent in the middle. "Wow..." she murmured. "So greatswords are great for disarming people."

"Yep, but you'd have to make sure that you don't fall first," Tamsin teased. She went to pick up the sword and tossed it into the repair bin. "Now we've pretty much gone through the things for beginners. After you are more experienced we'll try different things like flail, axe, spear and other stuff."

"We've only gone through the things for beginners about _melee_ weapons," Dagny reminded her. "What about ranged weapons? You promised that you'll let me try them out too."

Tamsin smiled. She went through the chest and picked up a simple, old fashioned recurve bow. "Damn I don't have any modern bows here. I should really order some...anyway, I guess this is what we have for now."

She handed it to Dagny, and watched her practice with it without an arrow. She thought she'd let her try shooting a few arrows, but the gym was a bit too small for that. Moving the training outside, though, would risk Dagny hitting some passersby, which would not be a good idea either.

"Maybe I should take you to the archery range in Valhalla sometimes," she eventually suggested. "You'll love it there. They have amazing collections of bows and crossbows…."

"Really? You think they'd let me train there?" Dagny beamed.

"Yeah, I'm sure Acacia would be fine with that," Tamsin nodded. Then she crossed her arms in front of her chest and drawled, "but you'll have to promise me that you will not answer any strange calls again."

Dagny nodded in guilt. "What do you think would happen with-what are we gonna do with Hades?"

"I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Tamsin told her. "I'm gonna go do some research with Bo tomorrow and see if we can find out what he wants or how we can defeat him."

Dagny nodded again. Then, her phone beeped. She took a glance at it and said, "oh, I need to go meet Kenzi now. I promised her that I'd be her shopping buddy this evening."

"Okay, you're gonna be home for dinner? Or we are gonna eat at their place?"

"I don't know yet. I'll have to ask Kenzi. I will let you know later?"

Tamsin nodded. "Don't drive too fast. Don't talk to strangers. Don't-"

Dagny interrupted her with a grimace. "You know, having one negging mom is enough for me, and her name is Kenzi."

"Just...be careful and if anything weird happens, _tell me_ ," Tamsin said firmly.

"I know. I will," Dagny told her before she rushed to get a shower. Then she got dressed and left in a hurry.

Tamsin picked up all the weapons that were on the floor, and put them into the chest in order. The clattering sound of the blades echoed in the gym, reminding her that she was alone again.

* * *

Tilting her head back, Tamsin rested it on the corner of the bathtub. She inhaled the steamy, hot air greedily, as if it could somehow cleanse her mind. She stretched her legs and her arms while trying to relax in the warm, bubbly water.

She let out a deep breath afterwards and closed her eyes while wondering why Dyson's tub would be so uncomfortable. Had that guy ever taken a bath? Did he have any idea what a good tub would feel like?

Though, everything was a bit run down here. She had noticed that the fridge wouldn't stop humming, and there was a leaking piping under the sink where drops of water would drip out. The walls needed a repaint bad, and the carpet change was definitely long overdue. And the tub of course, she could really use a new one.

But, there was nothing that a little elbow grease wouldn't fix. She figured that she'd just order some new stuff and get the gang over to help renovating. After that it would become a nice home for her and Dagny.

 _Home_. She still had a hard time pronouncing that word. It was something that she had never thought she'd associate herself with. All she had had, were shelters, dwellings, or maybe apartments at her best. She once even lived in her truck with all her personal belongings tucked under the backseats, but at least that was something she had owned.

She never had a home. She never found anywhere she could, or wanted to belong. She certainly never expected that one day she'd find a place to live with her own daughter and call it home.

It all felt like a dream. An impossible that had come true. Something she had never thought she'd have when she had been collecting souls and slaying enemies in the battlefield.

She had never thought she'd be worthy enough to live a normal life with someone she shared blood with. She thought she'd live her lives by herself and then died alone, just like everyone that had been around her. She thought loneliness would be the only thing that would accompany her to the end of her life.

Life to her was just a boring journey. She could see the end of it the moment she had started it. There was nothing wonderful about it. She'd just walk down that path and then shake her hand with the Death.

She thought that was what life was about. She would just...live it. No one would ever matter to her, just like she would never matter to anyone. But, it had changed. For the first time in any of her many life times, she had something to look forward to now. She had something to lose. It scared her, but it also made her feel more alive than ever.

Though, nothing was perfect, was it? That heaviness on her heart just wouldn't go away. She still woke up right before the dawn and couldn't go back to sleep, because somehow at that time She'd always think about Bo.

They hadn't talked for days, well, other than some casual small talks while drinking at the Dal of course. They were both carefully dancing on a sheet of thin ice. Under the ice there were these scorching flames that were waiting to break free and to destroy her.

She wondered if she should just move further away from Bo, so they'd see each other less often. Then, maybe it would all reduce into nothing but a "Happy Yuletide Night & Happy New Year" message per year between them. And when she occasionally came into town, she and Bo could be friends again. Real friends, the kind that could get together, have a drink and talk about insignificant things that happened in their lives, not the kind that would kiss each other and then filled all their moments with awkward silence.

She groaned and covered her face with her soapy palm. _Fuck_. She thought as she wondered when and how, if even possible, she could get herself out from this misery. She was in it for too damn long, and it felt like a curse. Even death couldn't help her get rid of it. She couldn't believe that after all these years, after all the things that had happened, she'd still love Bo.

Though, she now felt better, because she knew there was nothing there for her. For so long she had been clinging to a spark of hope that had never been there, and now she had finally given up. She wouldn't get heartbroken again, because there was nothing left to break. She had nothing but a piece of dead flesh inside her chest, scarred and shattered. It only gave her subtle, dull pains whenever she looked at Bo in the eyes.

She wondered if this was it. She wondered if this was the end for her and Bo. Of course they would still meet often, because they were still trying to figure out how to defeat Hades, but what would happen after that? What would happen to them after Hades was gone for good, after the evil was gone for good, after everything went back to normal again?

They would just drift apart, wouldn't they? They would just slowly fade out from each other's life. Bo and her, it would be like a drop of ink that had entered the water. First it would still try to pull itself together, but no, there was no way. It would slowly dissolve, disappear, get drowned, get washed away. Everything eventually would blend into a bland taste, into a buzz of white noise, into a background of nothing. There would be nothing left there, other than some old, faded memories. Life itself would just go on and on till its very end.

That thought didn't scare her. It just took all her strength away, because she knew it was inevitable. Nothing would last forever, not to mention there probably wasn't even a _thing_ between her and Bo.

Slowly moving her fingers down, she touched her own lips. Bo's sweetness. Her warmth. It still lingered. She wondered if that kiss meant anything at that moment, but would it make any difference even if it did? Sure, maybe there was a spark or two between them, a heat of the moment, a rush of something, because she sure as hell felt it, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough.

She knew maybe one day, they'd have a moment again. Maybe another kiss, or maybe they'd even wake up in the morning finding themselves naked in bed together again. But, would it go any further than that?

It wouldn't, just like how it never had.

 _Ugh, I gotta stop thinking about that dumb Succubus_. Tamsin told herself, frustrated. _I gotta get out of this crap. Damn, get your shit together! You-_

The sound of someone pacing in the living room pulled her out from her train of thoughts. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned forward.

"Dagny?" She called. "Is that you?"

Nobody answered her. She frowned, before she quickly got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself. She grabbed the dagger she had left beside the sink on the way out.

Someone was standing by the ring in the gym. When she heard Tamsin coming out from the bathroom, she spun around. It was Bo.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and lowered her dagger. "Geez, Bo, you could have told me that it was you. Or maybe you could have texted me before coming over here."

"Umm...I didn't text you?" Bo raised her eyebrows, a bit confused.

Tamsin sighed and hunted for her cellphone. She eventually found it stuck between two cushions on the old couch. "Nope," she said after checking her phone and tossing it back into the couch. "Just a couple messages from Kenzi."

"Oh, it must ummm….I blame the cellphone network then," Bo told her with a smile. She sat down on the couch and put her hands between her knees. "So…."

"So, suit yourself first cuz I'm gonna go..." Tamsin waved her hand in front of her body, telling Bo that she needed to dry herself and get dressed first.

"Oh, sure, of course," Bo gave her a nod.

Tamsin went back to the bathroom to blow dry her hair. She stood there with the hair dryer in her hand and the heat level at "high". The loud noise temporarily deafened her.

Through the steam covered mirror, she saw Bo standing at the doorway. The brunette leaned against the doorway, watching her.

Tamsin cleared her throat and clutched the hem of the towel right above her chest. "Did anybody ever tell you that it wasn't at all polite to stare at people?" She teased.

Bo gave her a lazy shrug but didn't say anything.

"Whatever," Tamsin murmured. "Why are you here?"

"Just want to make sure that everything's going alright with you guys," Bo replied.

"And you couldn't do that through the phone?"

"I could, but I thought it would be nicer if I see it with my own eyes. So...how's Dagny? Are you two getting along well, or shall I take her back for a few days to cool things down?"

"Everything's going fine," Tamsin replied. She put down the dryer and looked at Bo's reflection in the mirror for a split second. There was something in those brown eyes that somehow confused her, and she could practically taste the awkwardness in the air.

She walked to the door, and raised her eyebrows at Bo, who wouldn't move away. "Would you mind?"

Bo smiled mischievously, before she turned her body sideways to let Tamsin out.

Tamsin went back to her room, and closed the door behind her. She started to get dressed, and when she picked up her pants from the floor, something fell out from the back pocket.

It was that charm Kenzi had given her, which she had kept in her pocket instead of wearing it on her wrist.

That charm was glowing brightly right now, and the glow gave her heart a sudden, heavy thump.

She swallowed hard and picked it up with her shivering fingers.

"Tamsin, how long does it take for you to get dressed?" Bo's teasing voice came through the door. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

She clenched her hands and sat down beside her bed. "Just...ummm, just give me a minute, will you?" She said after taking a few deep breaths.

She put her shaking legs through the pants, and pulled it on. Then, she tucked her hand under the mattress and pulled out a short sword.

She thought she should warn the gang. Her heart fell and her blood ran cold when she remembered that she had left her phone outside on the couch.

* * *

 **A/N:** **To the anon who asked about Kenzi's age, yes I think she's probably about 30 right now.**

 **Thanks for everyone who's reading this story.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The very first thought, the strongest urge that had come to Tamsin's mind, was to climb out of the window, go down the fire escape, hop on her truck and drive the hell out of here. Or maybe she could just jump down and run. She could go to the Dal, or the shack, or anywhere. Any place would make her feel safer than being here.

Running away seemed to be a brilliant idea, except that Hades would immediately find out that his cover was blown. He'd either come after her, or disappear. Either way, she'd lose a perfect opportunity of figuring out why Hades showed up out of the blue.

He must have come here for a reason. It had to be about her or about Dagny.

If he had come here to kill her, she wouldn't stand a chance even if she jumped into a car and slammed the gas pedal all the way down right now.

If he had come here for Dagny, she couldn't just leave like this, not when Dagny was still out with Kenzi and had no idea what was going on at home.

The third possibility would be that Hades had come here for information, or something else. She needed to figure out what he was after.

She took a deep breath and clasped her shaking fingers together while reminding herself that she was a Valkyrie and that this was her battle.

She tucked her dagger under her shirt, and she flinched when the cold blade touched her skin. Taking another deep breath to calm the loud tremor inside her chest, she squeezed the doorknob with her trembling hand and opened the door.

When she saw "Bo" standing in the hallway waiting for her, she forced a casual smile out and said in a teasing tone as if she was really talking to Bo, "wow, you are still here."

"Well, I didn't come here just so I can stand in the hallway for ten minutes before I leave," Hades shrugged. He followed Tamsin into the living room.

"Then why did you come here?" Tamsin asked as she headed to the couch. She could feel Hades' stare on the back of her neck like needles. She had to force herself not to shrug or scratch her back because she had to act completely normal.

She sat down on one side of the couch and rested her left arm on the armrest. Her heart pounded nervously when she saw that her phone was buried under a pillow on the other side..

She casually stretched her right arm out and reached for it, but before she touched it, Hades tossed the pillow aside and picked up her phone. He put it on the coffee table and sat down beside her.

He smiled at her, and Tamsin bit a smile out even though she was completely creeped out by how close he was to her right now and how much he looked like Bo.

"Like I said," Hades replied with a shrug. "Just dropping by and...make sure that everything is going okay with you and Dagny."

"Well then l believe that you've already had your answer. We are doing great," Tamsin replied. She couldn't help but stare at the narrow space between her and him. The thought of him possibly touching the side of her body, or even her elbow, made her want to stand up and storm out right now.

She put one leg over the other and leaned back. "Why are you really here, Bo?" She asked.

"Why? Wanting to know if you bond well with Dagny can't be the real reason that I am here?" Hades asked softly. He even faked that subtle hurt in his eyes.

Tamsin sucked in some air and barely managed a smirk. She forced herself to look at him. She forced herself to look at him straight in the eyes. She forced herself not to pose in a defensive stance, not to pick up a pillow and hold it in her arms to cover herself, and not to even focus on the dagger under her shirt.

She needed to treat him like Bo. She needed to act like she had no idea who he truly was, because he could see right through her if she made one mistake, no matter how simple or small that mistake was. He was the master of disguise and an excellent liar.

She moved her hand to the side of her thigh and clenched her fingers together, because every piece of her muscle was protesting. She could practically feel her thigh muscles twitching because they wanted her to just get the hell away from him.

"I figure that if that's all you want, you'd just pick up the phone and call me or something," Tamsin said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh well, I figure it might be better to see it with my own eyes, because...you know, I kinda miss you, both of you."

That soft voice and that "genuine sincerity" chilled Tamsin's spine. She could feel her jaw clenching now. Fear and burning rage were eating her inside out. And the unspeakable horror that was right in front of her, it was smiling, grinning, and it wanted to devour her.

She wondered how she could possibly act normal. How could she, when what she really wanted to do was to punch him in the face repeatedly until there was nothing of him left in this world? She wanted to stab him over and over and watch the last drop of blood leave his body. She wanted see him die. She wanted him to die a horrible death. She wanted to see him being torn into pieces and then see every single piece of him perish. She wanted him to die in a way that there was never going to be a coming-back for him ever again.

She wanted to yell, to cry, to scream and to throw up at the same time. Being in the same room with him made her feel sick, and the mere thought of them breathing the same air disgusted her so much that she could hear the content inside her stomach running up into her throat.

"Hey, Tamsin, are you okay?" Hades asked with a frown. He leaned in as he laid a hand on Tamsin's knee. "You seem distracted and...pale."

That simple touch made every hair on Tamsin's body stand. Goose bumps of repugnance tightened her skin. She bit back the urge of wanting to pull her dagger out to chop that hand off, before she stood up slowly.

She walked into the kitchen. "Oh, just umm...not getting enough sleep lately," she quickly made up an excuse before she got herself a glass of water. For a moment it almost choked her, because she suddenly couldn't swallow.

"Hmmm, that sucks. Is it because you've moved into a new place and you are not really used to it?" Hades suggested.

Tamsin shrugged. She almost told him that it was because Dagny had been keeping her up at night, since the best way to lie was to include some truth in the lies, but she didn't want him to know anything about Dagny. She didn't even want to mention her name in front of him. In fact, hearing him saying her name made her want to punch him again.

"Maybe" was all she could say to him. She knew she couldn't hide in the kitchen forever, so she went back to the couch and sat down.

"We are doing great," she eventually told him.

"That's always good to know," Hades said. "I'm just worried. Just wanna make sure everything's okay. So...where is she?"

"Oh, out shopping," Tamsin replied simply as she stared at her phone. She wanted to grab it and warn everyone right now, but she feared that her eagerness would betray her.

"Is she gonna be home any time soon?" Hades asked.

"Ummm, I have no idea. You know what, why don't I text her and find out?" Tamsin suggested.

"That'll be a great idea," Hades said as he handed Tamsin her phone. "Though, why don't you just call her? That should be faster, right?"

"Oh, you know kids these days. They prefer texting. You know that, right?" Tamsin pulled her lips into another tight smile,before she casually turned her body a little so Hades wouldn't see the screen. She tapped her fingertips on her phone, trying to send everyone a warning message first.

She was still a bit unfamiliar with the new generation of phones. Her anxiety, of course, had made everything even worse. It took her quite some time to eventually include all the recipients.

She glanced at Hade, and he was watching her intently. She had to smile again, and the air around her suddenly became too thick for her to breathe.

 _Come on. Come on._ She told herself. _Send the fucking text before he notices anything!_

She took another glance at Hades, and he was looking right back at her. Not at her eyes, or her face, but her fingers. The smile on his face was suddenly gone.

She looked down at her own fingers, and her blood ran cold when she realized how hard they were trembling right now.

She struggled to hit the "send" button when Hades grabbed her phone and her hand. He pulled one corner of his lips up into a wicked smile as he squeezed her hand tightly. Tamsin bit out a painful cry because for a moment she thought he had broken her finger bones.

She eventually dropped the phone. The message app was still stuck on the "sending" display when Hades crushed the phone with his heel.

He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Tamsin..." he said in a soft voice. "I thought I told you already. You are a terrible, terrible liar."

With that, his face suddenly went cold. That fake flirty look had disappeared. All of a sudden, the only thing that was in his eyes was cruelty. To Tamsin, he no longer looked like Bo, because Bo would never look at her like she was her prey.

Tamsin struggled hard, but the more she struggle, the more helpless she felt. She felt like she was a butterfly being squeezed by someone's hand, or an ant being crushed by someone's shoe.

Hades gripped her neck and shoved her to the wall. He lifted her up by choking her. "So, tell me, Tamsin, what exactly gave me away? Did I do something wrong? Was it the way I talk, or was it the way I smile?"

Tamsin gritted her teeth and forced some air in. "Maybe because you looked nothing like her," she hissed.

"Really? Then why were you all over me last time, hmmm?" Hades drawled. The evil grin on his face became wider when he noticed that pain and self-loathing in Tamsin's eyes.

"Go to hell!" Tamsin squeezed those words out from her teeth as she pulled the weapon out and thrust it all the way into Hades' stomach.

She knew it wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't even hurt him that much, but plunging a knife into him felt good.

"Been there, actually I've lived there for a long, long time," Hades told her as he pulled out the blade and tossed it away. There wasn't even much blood on it. "And now I think I'm gonna enjoy a little vacation outside the hell."

He tightened his grip and watched Tamsin suffer. Before she blacked out, though, he let go of her. He watched her collapse to the floor and gasp.

He took a step back and tilted his head to the side a little while slowly changing back into his own form - a gray haired, nice looking guy in an expensive suit.

"It's good to see you again, Tamsin," he said, still smiling.

Tamsin stared at him angrily while coughing.

"I must say that I was surprised when I heard that you came back from death. I didn't think it was possible," Hades continued, "but oh well, I guess you made it."

Tamsin answered him with a few muffled bursts of angry curses. She frantically rubbed her hands against the lingering touch of his hands on her neck, because his touch made her feel sick again.

"Got yourself a second chance, huh? This is like the second _second chance_ you've got, right? You lucky girl..." He said as he looked around at the place. He smiled at the Valkyrie magnets on the fridge door, the Norwegian horse pattern pillows on the couch, and the monster slippers that were beside the door. "You got yourself a place to live, and you get to live with your own daughter. That's just incredible. I bet it's nice to play house with your own daughter, isn't it?"

Tamsin stared back at him as she slowly stood up. She fisted her hands and dug her feet into the carpet. She knew she'd never stand a chance to win, but she still wanted to throw punches into his face. All the rage, all the fear and all the pain inside her, they needed a release, a relief, an exit.

Hades dodged her punch lazily. He stepped to the side a little and shrugged at her. "There is just one thing that still doesn't feel right, isn't it?"

Tamsin threw another punch at him, and she hit him right in his face. He seemed to have not been bothered by it, though. He gave her another smile and said, "there is just one thing in your old life that you couldn't let go, huh? You just couldn't leave her behind. You couldn't move further away from her. You couldn't cut her out from your new life. You still have a little hope in there-"

He pointed at Tamsin's chest, and the Valkyrie slammed his hand away with the side of her fist.

"You don't have to hit me to prove me right, you know?" Hades told her. "I know you still want her. I can see it in your eyes. You still want her to be in your life and to be a part of your life, don't you?"

Tamsin answered him with another hard punch on his cheek. He let out an amused snort and turned his face sideways.

"A piece of advice from me," he said. "Don't gamble all your love on someone who can't even love."

"Oh you have no idea. You and I both know that she's nothing like you, and I think you can suck it."

Hades scoffed and grabbed Tamsin's swinging fist. "You are loyal. I like that," he said while tightening his grip. He watched the look of pain fleeting across Tamsin's face and he smiled again. "And you are strong. I like that too. But, do you know what I like the most about you, Tamsin?"

Tamsin answered him by slamming her knee into his groin, and that just made him laugh.

"No matter what happens to you, no matter how heartbroken you are, you just won't break. That's just incredible, Tamsin. You just keep coming back, even after the death in your last life. I am really impressed."

Tamsin growled as she revealed her true form. The turmoiling power inside her gave her a pounding headache. Her heart beated so rapidly like it was about to give out, but she couldn't care less.

"Oh, Tamsin…" Hades shook his head and sighed. "You don't have to do this. You know it's not gonna work…"

He pulled on her arm and twisted it behind her back. Shoving her to the wall again, he ignored her furious curses and struggles and leaned in.

"You know, when I first heard that you were back, I wasn't sure what I was gonna do about you because you being back wasn't something I had expected. At first I thought maybe I'd just kill you, but hey, that's no fun at all. Then I thought, why don't I just break you, Tamsin? I'd really like to see you on your knees, begging, crying and everything. I can make you bow. I can make you surrender. I can even make you love me, you know. I can do anything."

"Oh you can only dream," Tamsin bit those words out.

"Just like there's no wild horse that I can't tame, I can break you, Tamsin. Maybe it'll take a few decades, or centuries, but eventually, you will. They all do. In the end, you just can't have enough of me."

"You are right. I want you so badly that I just want to cut you into pieces and fed you to the dogs," Tamsin hissed.

Hades sneered and pulled on Tamsin's hair hard to force her to arch her back. "A smart mouth won't get you anywhere, Tamsin," he said.

"And you went through all the troubles to get out of Tartarus just so you could come here and threaten me?"

"Actually, I went through all the troubles to get out of Tartarus for a lot of things. I wasn't here for you, Tamsin. I just came by to see my daughter because I was in town. So, where is my daughter?"

"A, she's not your daughter, and b, do you really think I'd tell you?"

Hades leaned in and pressed his lips right beside Tamsin's ear. "Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. We can even do this in the ways that you begged for when we were-"

The door suddenly opened and it interrupted him. He turned to take a look, and saw Dagny walk in with a bunch of shopping bags in her hands. She had her head lowered and was texting, completely unaware of what was going on inside the gym.

"There she is!" Hades exclaimed and threw Tamsin to the floor. He turned to face Dagny with a smile on his face.

Dagny raised her head, still a bit confused at first. The moment she realized that it was her father standing there, and that her mother was on the floor with bruises on her neck, anger burst out from her chest in a loud growl. She dropped her bags and fisted her hands, her entire body trembling in great rage.

"Dagny," Tamsin called breathlessly. "Run!"

The young girl wouldn't listen to her at all, though. She picked up the nearest weapon - the greatsword and dashed towards Hades. "You get away from her, you son of bitch!"

Hades frowned and shook his head. "Watch your language, young lady."

Dagny answered him by slashing her sword at him. He turned sideways quickly and clutched Dagny's forearm with one hand to force her to stop.

"Why do my daughters always greet me with weapons?" He commented and tightened his hold. Dagny cringed in pain and dropped her weapon.

"Maybe because you just make people want to kill you," Tamsin said. She jumped to Dagny's side and grabbed her. She flung Dagny's arm out from Hades' hand and shoved her to the door. "Run!" She ordered.

"Oh not so fast," Hades said as he blocked the exit. "When your father is in town, I think spending a little quality time with him is the least you can do."

"You are not my father," Dagny pushed him away.

"Really? I bet the differ since I'm pretty sure I was the one who made her-"

"You raped her, you bastard!" Dagny punched him in the face.

"Oh don't say that, darling," Hades told her in chuckles as he brushed his fingers across the place Dagny had just hit. "I simply shifted into Bo's form and gave her a wonderful night. You can't tell me she didn't enjoy that."

Tamsin growled and punched Hades again. Hades flung her arm away violently and tossed her to the side. She hit her head on the wall and she passed out.

Dagny let out a series of furious curses before she spat on his face. Then, she ran to her mother's side trying to wake her up but she couldn't.

Staring at Hades, Dagny was too angry to speak. The rage inside her made her tremble hard. It swirled, roared and then it exploded.

It quickly turned into something else. Something she was quite familiar with because it was the same thing she had been dealing with for days now.

It was cold. It was hot. It ran through her like electricity. The next thing she knew, was an acute back pain. It was too strong. She felt like her back was being ripped open.

Something squeezed their ways through her flesh. They separated her bones and tore her skin. She could practically hear the sound of them ripping her back muscles apart.

She couldn't help but let out a loud cry, not just to ease the pain, but the sudden energy explosion too.

Then, there was a loud puff sound. Something flung out from her back. They made her lost her balance.

She stumbled as she turned back and took a look. At first she thought they were two huge pieces of shadows right behind her, but immediately she realized that they were her wings.

She had two huge, black wings flapping behind her. They seemed to have their own will because she could hardly control their movements. They made her stumble around. She had to grab things to hold herself still or otherwise she'd fall.

Then, all of a sudden, her wings stopped struggling and became compliant. They no longer felt like alien objects to her. They just felt like another pair of arms, or legs. She could feel every flutter of ever raven feathers of hers. They were whispering furiously, and she could hear all of it.

Her wings suddenly gave her confidence. The fear she had, the anger she had, they seemed to have empowered her. She had never felt so strong, so invincible before. She had never felt so calm.

Taking a step forward, she stared at Hades fearlessly. Hades, on the other hand, seemed to be too stunned to react.

Dagny inhaled, and felt a flow of energy shooting out from her chest. It travelled all the way down along her arm and to her right hand.

She raised that hand, and out of nowhere, a stream of scarlet energy gathered around her fingers. It swirled in the air and formed a long, crooked shape. The edge of the shape slowly became sharper and more solid as the energy kept coming together.

Eventually, it became an actual thing that she could feel in her hand. It was a pole weapon, with a slightly curved handle and a piece of blade that had been shaped like the blade of an axe, but with a long, hooked tip. The best description she could come up with would be it was something between a scythe and a halberd.

It felt hot as hell, and she had no idea how she could hold it in her hand without getting burnt.

Her wings flapped again, knocking things down from the wall and the cabinets behind her. She heard a voice in the back of her head, or maybe inside her somewhere. It sounded like a soft hiss, or a careless breath. _Take it_. It told her. _Take it from him_.

 _Take what?_ She wondered but that sudden rush of urge seemed to have taken control over her body. Her arm moved on its own. It raised the weapon and slashed it at Hades.

He didn't dodge or parry. He didn't even raise an arm or a finger to stop her. He just stood there and let her weapon hit his arm. Dagny wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to get away, or he couldn't do so.

She saw the blade cutting through his clothes and then his flesh. He didn't bleed, but her weapon did leave a scarlet mark there. He fell back and clenched his teeth.

Dagny sneered and took another step forward. She waved her weapon in the air, and it made a fierce sound as if it could cut the wind.

Her wings expanded like two growing shadows that were alive. Her eyes flashed bright red when she raised her chin slowly. She raised her weapon again, and attacked him with a heavy hack.

He grabbed the handle with his bare hand this time. The moment he touched it, his entire hand turned red as if he got severe burn. He let out a vague growl and pushed her back forcefully. Then, he looked down at his palm.

He had a patch of redness there, and the center of it, where his skin had first touched Dagny's weapon, was dark, almost black.

He raised his eyebrows, fascinated. "That's my girl!"

Dagny replied him with a cold sneer. She brandished her weapon as she rose into the air. She beated her wings rapidly, before she dived at Hades and aimed at his throat.

Hades quickly jumped away and let Dagny hit the couch with her weapon. "What are you?!" He exclaimed as he watched Dagny closely.

Dagny sneered again and pulled her weapon back. She stood there and slowly lowered her blade, her chest heaving hard. She paced towards Tamsin, who had just gained her consciousness back but were too stunned to move, and stood between her and Hades.

That whisper came back to her again. _Take it_. _Take it. It's yours_.

Raising her weapon with both hands, she rose into the air again. Her wings caused a strong stir in the room, and in the center of the whirlwind she gave Hades another hack.

He barely dodge it. The blade left a long cut on the front side of his suit, almost ripping the whole thing in half.

He hissed and raised his right hand. It glowed and turned blue.

Dagny turned her wrist, preparing for another attack, but before she did, the handprint on her chest glowed and it gave her a pain so strong that she couldn't bear.

She bit a groan out and stumbled back. She tried to fight it while keeping attacking Hades, but after a while the power surge inside her became unstable. She could no longer keep it under control.

Her wings fluttered nervously, expanding and then folding, before they disappeared. Her weapon changed into a sheen of crimson smoke before it vanished. As the blonde color flushed out the black color in her hair, she groaned and collapsed.

"Dagny!" Tamsin yelled as she had finally came out of the shock. She rushed to her daughter and held her head up. She tapped her face, and eventually Dagny opened her eyes.

"Mom..." Dagny murmured in a weak voice. She tried to raise herself on her elbows but her arms were too weak. After letting out a painful gasp, she collapsed again.

Tamsin growled at Hades who was approaching slowly. She put Dagny's arm around her shoulder and headed to the exit.

Hades, however, blocked her way again. "Hand her over," he told her with a warning tone, his hand still glowing in blue.

"You can only dream," Tamsin retorted as she moved backwards to the window.

Hades was faster than her, though. He stopped her and blocked the window. "You asked me why I was here, and now you have your answer. I came here for Dagny. Give her to me."

"Don't you dare to even say her name, you fucking son of bitch," Tamsin hissed. "You'll never have her."

"Don't tell me _never_ ," Hades growled furiously. He seemed to have finally lost his patience, and he reached his hand out. He grabbed Tamsin's arm, and that touch made Tamsin cry out in pain.

She felt like her soul was being pulled out, together with her bones and every piece of her flesh. The pain was so overwhelming that her entire body started to tremble. Her tears burst out despite that she tried to bite them back.

But she didn't let go of Dagny. She held her tighter even though she could no longer make a sound.

Hades let out a huff, and increased his power, but when he heard someone storming in, he let go of Tamsin and turned around.

It was Bo. She stopped the moment she saw Hades standing there. After a quick glance at Dagny who seemed to be unconscious and Tamsin who had bruises around her neck and on her arms, she let out a bellow of rage and came at Hades.

"You've got some serious balls to come back here!" She roared as she pulled out her dagger.

"I've gotta do something about this _greeting me with weapons_ thing," Hades commented while giving Bo a smile. "Relax, Bo, I came here to visit my family. That's all."

"They are not your family. You don't have a family. You don't deserve it," Bo told him in a hiss. She raised her dagger at him as she came between him and the other two women. "Get the fuck out, or I make you."

"Whoops, you are really mad, aren't you?" Hades teased, though the look on his face was serious. When he saw Bo inhaling, he quickly said, "sorry, I'm afraid this family reunion has to end right now. Can't go back to the hellhole just yet. Bye, sweetheart."

He raised his right hand and did a goodbye gesture before Bo breathed life into him. Then, he disappeared in a golden flash.

Bo gasped as she watch the golden light disappear. "Of course, the fucking Helskor," she murmured, panting hard.

She put down her dagger and let out a deep breath, before she turned to Tamsin. "Are you okay?" She asked as she put her hand on the Valkyrie's shoulder.

Tamsin flinched at her touch, though she quickly gave her a nod. "I'm fine," she replied as she covered the bruises on her neck with her hand.

"Is Dagny okay?" Bo asked as she cupped Dagny's face.

"I think she just passed out," Tamsin explained. "She turned into her true form for the first time and she fought him…."

"Oh," Bo nodded and looked at all the broken things inside the living room. Then, she turned back to Tamsin again. She could see the broken look in those light eyes, and that hurt her more than anything. She hesitantly reached one hand out, wanting to cup Tamsin's face, but when the Valkyrie dodged her hand, she paused there. She ended up brushing a stray lock that was hanging beside Tamsin's cheek with the back of her fingers before Tamsin pulled away.

"I was on my way to the Dal and my handprint glowed," she told Tamsin. "I came as soon as I could…."

"We are fine," Tamsin told her simply. She lifted Dagny and carried her to the couch.

Bo frowned at the two long, messy bloody trails behind Tamsin's back. "Tamsin," she called. "You are bleeding!"

Tamsin paused and frowned at her, confused. "I am?" She murmured as she turned back to take a look. Her heart thumped painfully when she saw two bloody nubbins sticking out under her shoulder blades. Blood dribbled down, coloring her shirt red.

She figured that she must have gotten them out when she had revealed her true form in front of Hades. She was surprised that she hadn't felt pain at all.

She sighed as she tried to withdraw the two nubbins, but they just wouldn't go back like they wanted to be out just so they could remind her that she no longer had her wings.

She eventually gave up and let out a frustrated growl. She put on a thick robe to cover the blood stains after she laid Dagny on the couch. She caressed her daughter's forehead while clenching her trembling lips.

"Why don't you give everyone a call and ummm...let them know what happened here?" She suggested to Bo without looking at the brunette.

"Yeah," Bo nodded and took out her phone. Before she dialed any numbers, though, she looked at Tamsin. "Tamsin, I-"

"Just make the damn calls, will you?" Tamsin told her simply before she entered the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and collapsed on the floor. She covered her mouth to muffle her sobs as she curled up and embraced herself. She couldn't stop her legs from shaking. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing. She just couldn't.

* * *

 **A/N: Dagny finally got her wings! Aaaand she'll figure out what she is very soon :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Tamsin splashed cold water into her face repeatedly to cool her skin which was burning from being so furious and so anxious. She looked at herself in the mirror afterwards, and saw a pair of eyes filled with sadness. Both of her eyes were swollen and red, and she had to put on a thin layer of concealer to make herself look a little bit better.

She knew she still looked miserable, but she couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. After putting her hair back into a messy bun, she headed back into the living room.

Bo, who was sitting on the couch right beside the unconscious Dagny, stood up the moment she saw her walk out. She opened her lips in silence as she slightly reached her arms out at Tamsin, but after she noticed that the Valkyrie was dodging her eyes, she cleared her throat uncomfortably and stepped aside.

Tamsin sat down at where Bo had been sitting. She leaned over and placed her right hand on Dagny's cheek. The young girl had a rather peaceful look on her face, though her breath was a little rapid and shallow.

Tamsin sighed and held Dagny's hand in hers. Bo's hand hesitantly laid on her shoulder. She turned to the brunette and gave her a slight nod.

Bo nodded back. She tried to give Tamsin a comforting smile, but all she did was pulling her lips up awkwardly. She sucked her bottom lip for a long time, before she murmured, "Tamsin, I…."

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because Kenzi stormed in.

The petite human ran to Tamsin and gave her a firm hug. She then cupped Tamsin's face and examined her, before she hugged her again and stroked her hair.

Tamsin cleared her throat, feeling a little embarrassed that she was being treated like a child in front of Bo. She pulled back and told Kenzi, "I'm fine."

Kenzi nodded in a sigh and hugged Tamsin for the third time, before she bent over and checked on Dagny. "Is she okay?" She asked, tracing her middle finger along the young girl's hair line.

"Yeah. She just passed out," Tamsin told her simply.

Kenzi nodded and fetched a blanket from Dagny's bedroom. She wrapped the young girl in it and gave her a light kiss on her forehead.

Dyson was the next to come through the door. He bared his teeth and let out a low growl when he saw the mess made by the fight between Dagny and Hades. He quickly checked on the women, before he sniffed the air. The smell of Hades made him growl again.

Mark came in right after him. He shared a nod with Dyson, before they both tried to follow Hades' scent, but Bo told them not to bother since he vanished by using the Helskor shoes.

"Great," Dyson hissed as he threw a heavy punch at the punchbag. It shook hard, as if it was about to break off from the hanger and fall. "He has already killed two people, and we still have no idea why. And now this."

"That asshole is fucking with us," Mark said. "He did it because he can. He just wants us to know that. He wants us to know that we are never safe."

"It's not just that," Tamsin murmured, and everybody turned to stare at her. She looked back at everyone, and when her eyes met Bo's, they held each other's gaze for a split second before they both turned away.

"He said that he was in town and he decided to drop by. He must have come to town for something else," Tamsin continued.

Dyson and Mark shared a look, and Mark immediately phoned his precinct. Then, he shook his head at Dyson. "No new murders reported so far."

"Maybe he meant those two murders," Dyson said. "He came here, and he killed those two people for whatever reason that was. Then, he decided to come here and…."

"No, I think he meant something else," Bo said. "When I tried to make him go away like I did before, he suddenly got...I don't know what it was but he said that he couldn't go back to Tartarus just yet. It was like...it was like he had something else planned already, and I don't think it was those two murders. He was after something else, or someone else."

"It's not just that," Tamsin said as she looked at Bo with a frown, temporarily forgetting about the awkwardness between them. "Why did he say that he can't go back to Tartarus yet? It sounded like he was expecting that he'd go back there after he finishes whatever he's planning to do up here."

"Well that makes sense," Dyson said. "He probably is going back to his lair to rule his kingdom after he fucks our world over."

"No, no it wasn't like that," Bo shook her head. "It was more like...it was like he was expecting me to send him back to Tartarus again, instead of going back on his own."

"He was expecting what? That doesn't make any sense, Bo-Bo," Kenzi concluded. She took a clean, drenched towel to gently wipe off a few drops of dry blood, dirt and sweat from Dagny's face.

The young girl let out a few vague, weak moans, before she opened her eyes. At first she was beyond confused as she looked into Kenzi's concerned eyes. Then she looked at her mother and everyone else. When she laid her eyes on those shattered pots, the scattered items, and the huge cut on the back of the couch, she jolted and sat up.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Kenzi asked her softly as she held her hands firmly in hers.

"I feel...fine," Dagny said. Then she shook her head and jumped off the couch. "Where is he?" She hissed as she picked up a weapon from the floor. "Where is that son of bitch?!"

"He's gone," Tamsin told her immediately.

Dagny nodded, but still looked through every room to make sure that Hades wasn't here. Then she ran back to her mother and asked, "are you okay, mom?"

"I'm fine," Tamsin told her as she gave Dagny a reassuring smile.

Dagny nodded again. "What happened to me?" She asked, frowning. "I remember that I...had this weapon in my hand and I remember fighting him, but...did I pass out?"

"Yeah, you did. It was probably your power being unstable," Tamsin told her. "You probably should take more rest."

Dagny shrugged. Then she lowered her head and stared at her hand. The burning sensation that her weapon had left her still lingered, and she could still remember her fluttering wings and that roaring power inside her. "I got...wings," she murmured, quite stunned.

"Yeah, you got wings," Tamsin told her. "You got huge, black wings and a long ass fucking weapon."

Kenzi pressed her right hand against her chest and gasped, before she hugged Dagny. "Damn girl, you are so grown up now," she commented. "With wings and everything."

Dagny eventually nodded and chuckled. "Can I have some ice cream?" She asked Kenzi.

"Can you have some ice cream...hmmm let's see, you had a fight with your a-hole dad and you got wings, I'm guessing yes, you sure as hell can have some ice cream, Lil' Dagnija," Kenzi told her, before she went into the kitchen and got her some ice cream.

As Dagny was sitting on the couch scooping ice cream into her mouth, Lauren showed up.

The doctor looked beyond exhausted. She nodded at the gang, before she took the medical case off her shoulder.

"You okay, doc?" Mark asked.

Lauren let out a deep breath and cracked her neck. "One word for you, Evony."

Everyone else nodded and went quiet while Lauren examining Dagny.

"Have you figured out what I am yet, doc?" Dagny asked.

Lauren shook her head. "I can tell you what you are not," she said. "Your DNA doesn't match any Fae samples that we have in our database."

"So...that would make me...?"

"Rare, yeah, that's the word I'd use," Lauren told her with a smile while examining her.

"I still don't understand," Dagny pouted. "Everyone else inherit their power from one of their parents. Bo's a Succubus, like her mom and her grandma. Mark is a shifter like Dyson. Vex is a Mesmer like his parents. Why am I so different? "

"Well…it could be some recessive gene that your mother and Hades both carried. It could also be that...maybe Valkyries just don't give birth to Valkyries...it's one of my theories anyway. There really is no Valkyrie pregnancy documented or recorded...so…."

"So...you don't really know," Dagny nodded, and Lauren nodded as well with a rather defeated laugh.

After announcing that everything looked fine with Dagny, Lauren drew a few vials of her blood. "Do we have any progress on...anything?"

"Not really," Dyson said. "We are still tracking those who have worked in that adoption agency, as well as those families or kids who have filed application there. So far, nothing interesting came up."

Lauren nodded. She put the vials back into her medical case, about to say something else, but her beeping phone interrupted her.

One look at the screen of her phone, the color on her face got flushed out and she turned pale. A confused look fleeted across her eyes, before it got quickly got replaced by anxiety.

"What's wrong?" Both Bo and Dyson asked the same time.

Lauren swallowed hard and shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "It was something...it was something at the clinic. I have to go."

Bo frowned hard when she saw Lauren's hand shaking while she was packing her things. "Lauren..." she called hesitantly, but the doctor just gave her a firm head shake.

"I have to go," Lauren announced again, before she left.

Bo bit her bottom lip as she looked at Tamsin, Kenzi and Dagny. Then, she looked at Dyson and Mark. The Wolf gave her a nod and said, "I'll go to the clinic and make sure everything's okay."

Bo nodded back. "Thanks."

* * *

Lauren stormed into her clinic after a crazily fast drive from the gym. She darted into her office and closed the door behind her.

Nothing seemed to be out of ordinary in her office, and she took her phone out. She looked at the notification from the app, where a huge, red box was displayed with a line of text telling her that someone had accessed her safe just a few minutes ago.

She took a few deep breaths and walked to the bookshelf that was against the wall. She removed several books from the third shelf, as well as a potted plant that looked like a big bundle of chives.

Behind them, there was a small safe door with a number keypad and a fingerprint scanner, and it was locked tight.

She took a deep breath and punched in the passcode. Then, she quickly swiped her index finger over the scanner. The safe opened quietly, revealing a holder with a dozen labelled vials and small bottles.

Her heart sank when she saw the empty slot on the holder. She swallowed hard and fumbled with all the vials and bottles, before she stumbled back in shock with a heart so heavy that it could fell out of her anytime.

After taking several deep breaths and clenching her hands over and over, she checked the safe again and confirmed that the thing she was looking for wasn't in there.

The door to her office suddenly opened, and she almost jumped. She turned around and saw one of her nurses standing by the doorway with a stack of files in her hand.

"Amanda," she called the nurse while closing the safe as calmly as she could.

Amanda raised her eyebrows at Lauren curiously. "Hey, Dr. Lewis, I was just gonna drop off a few files on your desk...I thought...I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon."

"Umm, what do you mean?" Lauren frowned.

"Oh, weren't you supposed to be staying at the Morrigan's since she was in critical condition?"

"What? No, no she wasn't. I mean...who told you that?"

"Ummm...your ex wife?" The nurse answered nervously.

"You mean Bo?"

"Mhm, your ex wife, Bo," Amanda nodded. "She came by earlier and said that the Morrigan was bleeding to death...didn't you...didn't you send her over to fetch something?"

"You mean to fetch something from my office?" Lauren asked. After getting a nod, she continued, "did you let her into my office?"

"Yeah, of course, I mean, I didn't have to _let_ her in. She still has access to all the rooms in the clinic," Amanda reminded her.

"That's right...her prints are still in our system because I haven't removed them yet," Lauren murmured. "Why didn't you give me a call when she said she was gonna get something from my office?"

"Oh...she was in a hurry and...she just said I didn't have to call..." Amanda said. "I'm sorry, doctor, I guess I really should have called but...it was Bo, so…."

Lauren let out a sighed. "When...when did she come by?"

"Maybe half an hour ago?" Amanda said. When she had finally noticed how pale Lauren looked, she frowned.. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's fine, just ummm...everything's fine," Lauren told her immediately.

After the nurse left, she stood in her office with her phone in her hand. Before she had dialed any number, Dyson showed up.

"Lauren," Dyson called her. "Is everything okay? You look...pale."

Lauren wanted to tell him that everything was fine, but she couldn't lie. She hesitantly invited Dyson into her office and locked the door.

Dyson felt beyond confused when he saw that Lauren was panicking. "What happened? "

Lauren didn't answer him. She went to get herself a cup of water. When she tried to take a sip she almost spilled all of it over herself. "It's ummm…I think Hades came by and-"

Dyson growled when he heard that name. He sniffed the air and confirmed it. "Why did he come by? What did he do? Did he hurt anyone?"

"No, I don't think so," Lauren shook her head. Then she took a gulp nervously.

"Then what did he do?" Dyson frowned at Lauren.

"He umm...when I was with you guys, I got a message on my phone. It was from this app telling me that my...my safe has been accessed."

"Your safe?" Dyson furrowed his eyebrows. "Hades accessed your safe? He took something?"

Lauren nodded with her lips clenched and her eyes looking away from him.

"What did he take, Lauren? Is it something dangerous?"

Lauren shook her head, then she paused and downed the water. "He...ummm….he took the...he took the serum, Dyson," she eventually told Dyson the truth, and the truth seemed to have consumed her. It took all her strength away.

"What serum?" Dyson got more confused.

Lauren huffed out a light laugh. "The serum which can turn humans into conduits. He took it. Hades took my serum."

"Wait..." Dyson murmured, beyond shocked. "You still have the serum?!"

He got a nod from Lauren, and he growled, "I thought you said that you destroyed everything that was related to the serum after those assassination attempts made on you! You said that you erased all the research data and everything. You promised us that you made sure that no one, including you, could ever recreate the serum. You said that the serum was gone for good! How could you still have it?"

"Well, I still have it because I lied, Dyson," Lauren bit out the ugly truth. "I kept the last vial of it in my safe."

"Lauren, how could you-people were looking for it like crazy and you were almost killed," Dyson told her. "How could you keep it?"

"How could I not keep it, Dyson? I can't just flush the most significant finding in this century down the toilet and forget about it!" Lauren argued in frustration. "I can't...I just can't. I spent years doing research on it. I worked nights and days for it. I gave up everything for it. I can't just throw it away!"

Dyson stared at her, before he shook his head and asked, "alright, who else knew about this?"

"No one," Lauren said. "And I only kept that one vial and some essential data."

"Then how the hell did Hades know that you still have it?"

Lauren shook her head as she let out a bitter smile. "Of course he knows," she murmured. "He knows that once I make that serum, I can never throw it away and forget about it. It can turn humans into conduits. It can give humans Fae powers, Dyson. It's...it's my work and it's a really amazing serum. Now, he has it."

Dyson sighed. "Well, it's not the end of the world," he said. After pondering for a while, he asked, "how did he access your safe? I don't see any signs of him breaking into it here."

"He impersonated Bo, and Bo's prints patterns are still stored in the system. I...I used the same passcode for everything here, and when he...when he _helped_ me developing the serum, I'm sure there was once or twice that he paid attention to it when I punched in the code."

"Why would he want the serum anyway? Would it turn him into a conduit?"

"No," Lauren shook her head. "It won't work on him. It should only work on humans."

"It _should_?"

"I mean, it only works on humans," Lauren corrected herself.

"What if..." Dyson murmured. "What if he takes another host and-"

"Why would he want that? He's already more powerful than anyone we know. Besides, I've already proven that a human body isn't able to handle such power. If he turns his host into a conduit, the host will die in less than a week."

"Okay, but are you absolutely sure that the serum won't work on him?"

"I am sure of it, Dyson!" Lauren exclaimed as she threw her hands into the air. "Do you want me to explain to you why it won't work on him? Do you want to read that paper that I wrote about the serum, a paper I could never publish because a serum like that should never have existed?"

She stopped herself from ranting more and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just...could you give me a minute? I just need ummm…."

Dyson nodded and left her office. After he closed the door behind him, Lauren collapsed in her chair and closed her eyes.

* * *

Bo, Tamsin and Kenzi comforted Dagny and watched her go to sleep. Then, the Succubus went out to take Dyson's call.

Tamsin went into the kitchen and got herself a bottle of vodka. She threw herself into the couch and took a swag. The liquid burnt her throat like flames, making her cough.

She wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve while raising her chin at Kenzi when she saw the petite woman heading into the living room.

Kenzi stood in front of the couch. As she looked at the long, deep cut on the back of the couch, she clicked her tongue. "You need a new couch," she announced. "How about we go couch shopping tomorrow?"

"How about nah and order one off the internet?" Tamsin grunted. She scooted into the corner and offered Kenzi a spot.

The petite woman sat down and took a sip from Tamsin's bottle. While drinking, her eyes moving from Tamsin's anxious eyes to her shivering hands.

"You alright?" Kenzi asked.

"I'm fine," Tamsin shrugged. She sucked in some air as she clasped her fingers tightly to stop them from trembling.

"You sure?" Kenzi raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Tamsin fussed.

Kenzi clicked her tongue again. She put down the bottle and put her right arm around Tamsin's shoulder. Pulling the Valkyrie close, she gave her a gentle kiss on her temple despite that Tamsin was struggling hard.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Tam-Tam," Kenzi told her."That a-hole is going to pay for what he's done to us."

"Yeah, sure," Tamsin murmured. She lowered her eyes and stared at the floor.

She wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay, but how could she when those nasty goosebumps were still pulling her skin tight? The thought of Hades lurking in the shadows gave her creeps. It made her want to scream and throw up at the same time. No one had ever disgusted her like Hades had, and his touch on her skin still made her want to rip that piece of skin off herself.

She never thought he was that far away, but she had never expected that he'd suddenly show up when she was alone. She thought she'd just drink a lot and then pass out, but she feared that the moment she closed her eyes, Hades' face would appear.

He'd laugh at her. He'd mock her. He'd rip her scars open and watch her bleed. He'd enjoy her pain, her regret and her tears. He'd defeat her, crush her. He'd break her.

Tamsin shivered. She took another gulp from the bottle and forced the liquid down her throat.

"You wanna talk?" Kenzi asked as she rubbed the side of Tamsin's arm.

"No," Tamsin refused.

"Yes," Kenzi drawled.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "I am not 7 and I am not your daughter."

"Well, to me, you are always 7, and yes, you _are_ my daughter, Tamsin,,"Kenzi snorted. "We made cookies together. I don't just do that shit with everyone."

"Yeah, but your cookies tasted like ass," Tamsin told her. "And you burnt all of them."

"I did not start this conversation just so you can make snarky comments about my cooking," Kenzi slapped Tamsin's shoulder. "Seriously, do you wanna talk?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, let's talk. What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. Dagny, you, you and Dagny. You and Bo. Hades. How you feel about coming back. Everything. I'll listen to everything that you want to talk about tonight, how about that?"

Tamsin sighed. She finished the bottle and put it down on the floor. Then, she went to get an unopened bottle and two glasses. She put the glasses down on the coffee table and filled them with liquor.

Kenzi and her drank in silence for a long time, before Tamsin let out a deep breath and said, "there's really nothing to talk about. Everything's just so fucked up right now, you know. It's just...I don't even know where to start. Right now I just...I wish I could just cut that son of bitch into pieces."

"I know," Kenzi nodded and squeezed her hand firmly.

"It's just...it's not really..." Tamsin muttered. She combed her hair with her fingers anxiously, before she said in a low voice, "I just couldn't figure out why I didn't know that it wasn't Bo. I should have known, Kenzi. I should have known that it wasn't her."

"Oh, Tam-Tam," Kenzi shook her head slightly. She took Tamsin into her arms and let the Valkyrie crook her head under her chin. Stroking Tamsin's hair, she said, "please, don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, right," Tamsin huffed, tears welling up in her eyes. She downed her drink and poured herself another. "How could I fall for his trick? How could I be so stupid? I should have known that the real Bo would never want to sleep with me the night she broke up with Lauren, especially when we agreed to be friends without benefits on that same day. I just...how could I be so stupid?"

"Tamsin," Kenzi pulled back and cupped Tamsin's face. She gazed into the pain in those light eyes. "Hades _tricked_ you. It wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for what happened to you."

Tamsin clenched her fists on her thighs and bit her tears back. "You know, I would have felt better if he had punched me in the face, tied me up and forced me to do it. I would have felt much better if I had fought him with every bit of my strength before that shit happened. I would rather suffer anything, anything, than _that_."

She couldn't continue, because she was trembling too hard. Tears fell down along her cheeks. They stung her eyes and burnt her skin. "Why me?" She snuffled as she forced those words through her clogged throat, her lips quivering hard. "Why did he do this to me?"

Kenzi sighed. "He's a psychopath. He's a bastard. He's a serial killer, and a rapist. He enjoys watching people suffer. There is nothing right or normal with his mind. He hurt people because he could and because he wanted to. You can't blame yourself for what he's done to you."

Tamsin let out a bitter sob before she crashed into Kenzi's shoulder. She shook her head and let out some muffled words, before she finally burst into tears.

Those tears were ten years old. They were the tears she had never allowed herself to release. For a long time, she had forced herself not to show any weakness. She had told herself not to cry. Her pain, her tears and her misery, she had caged them inside herself and let them rot there. Everytime she thought about that night of horror, she felt pathetic. She couldn't stop shaking. She couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if she had refused "Bo" that night.

She thought those horrible memories had faded away, but when Hades came back all of a sudden and rubbed it right into her face, she realized that the dreadful shadows had always loomed there.

He was never gone and perhaps he never would. He had always been there, hiding in the shadows, laughing at her.

"He's gonna get what he deserves, sooner or later," Kenzi told her firmly. "Not that it would ever change anything, but when he dies, we'll all feel better, right?"

Tamsin nodded in sobs. Kenzi helped her wipe her tears off with a few tissues. "So...do you want some ice cream?"

"I am not a kid," Tamsin told her with an incoherent voice.

"Alright, fine, Miss I-am-not-a-kid, do you want to have some ice cream?" Kenzi asked again.

"Sure, whatever, if the little rodent didn't eat all of it. And add some liquor in the ice cream, please," Tamsin requested.

Kenzi nodded and went into the kitchen. While fixing Tamsin's ice cream, she asked, "so, you've lived here for several days now. Do you like it?"

"It's not a bad place," Tamsin said. "It's just that a lot of shit needs to be replaced."

"Sounds like you are planning to live here forever," Kenzi said.

"Well, if that's your way of asking me if I'll move back to the shack, the answer is no," Tamsin said. She took a deep breath and continued, "it's just...it's better this way, you know."

"I understand that, but I just want to know if I need to shield myself from all those awkward eye dodging shit between you and Bo for the rest of my life," Kenzi teased.

"It'll go away. We are just...we are friends now, and I think we can both handle being friends," Tamsin told her with a shrug, though she wondered if she actually believed that.

Kenzi was about to pop another question, but she stopped when she saw Bo coming in with her phone in her hand and a heavy look on her face. "Gee, who died?" She asked in a frown.

Bo took a glance at Tamsin, and the Valkyrie quickly turned away to hide her teary eyes. The brunette sighed and said, "no one died, but Hades stole Lauren's serum."

"What serum?" Kenzi frowned. Then she gasped and opened her eyes wide. "Wait, Lauren's serum as _the_ serum? The one that could turn humans into Fae?"

"Into conduits, Kenz. It turns humans into conduits," Bo corrected her. "And yeah, he stole that serum."

"I thought you told me a couple of years ago that Lauren destroyed everything related to that serum. Didn't you help her burn her notes or something?"

"I did," Bo said.

"Wait, why would Lauren destroy that serum?" Tamsin asked, confused. "Shouldn't that shit be...really valuable or something?"

Bo sighed. "It was probably too valuable," she explained. "More and more heard about it, and they sent out bounty hunters for it. There was once that she got kidnapped and almost got killed. We had a very serious discussion, and she told us that she was gonna destroy it for good. It was just too dangerous."

"But, she didn't really destroy everything, did she?" Kenzi asked.

Bo shook her head in a sigh. "She did not, and now Hades has the last vial."

"Wait, does that mean he could now steal other Fae's powers?"

"No," Bo shook her head. "It only works on humans."

"Then why would Hades steal that serum?"

"Hey, I know, I know that one," Kenzi said. "Maybe he is planning on using it on someone else? Like...what if he turns a group of humans into his conduit army?"

"Well then good luck to him, cuz that army won't last very long. We've all seen how the serum had affected Lauren. It almost killed her in less than a week. I don't think he'd want an army that would only live for a week."

"Then why the hell did he steal it?" Kenzi asked.

"I have no idea, but we need to figure out how to kill him before he use that serum to fuck all of us over," Bo concluded after having pondered for a long time.

* * *

 **A/N: Damn it took me forever to write this chapter. The last few weeks of the semester is just crazy!**

 **My original idea was to have Bo to have that talk with Tamsin, but after writing that down, it just didn't feel right, so I decided to go with Kenzi and Tamsin because I felt that it might be easier for Tamsin to open up with Kenzi right now than with Bo. It was also nice to see a little Mama Kenzi/Tam-Tam moment. As for Valkubus, it'll come around, since both of them are still trying to figure out what they want and where they stand in terms of their relationship. Like they both said, it's just too complicated. There are still a lot for them to fix, and I don't think it's reasonable if they just magically solve everything in a day or two. With all their history, I think both are just careful right now. They don't want to fuck things up, and they don't want to make things more awkward. There will be a lot of communications and night talks between them before they could eventually figure things out.**

 **Thanks for reading! XX**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Standing on tiptoes, Dagny reached for a book that was on the top shelf. She gripped the side of its spine and pulled hard, but it stuck there tightly.

"A little help here, Mama Kenzi," Dagny pleaded. "I-"

The book suddenly broke loose from the shelf, and a lot of other books fell down with it. One by one they hit Dagny's head, and she groaned while letting out one "ouch" after another.

"Ya okay?" Kenzi asked as she came over from the other side of the shelf and checked on the young girl.

Dagny nodded. She fumbled with the pile of books until she found the one she had been looking for. It was an old, heavy book with a dark leather cover. Tightly sealed by a copper clasp, it seemed that no one had touched this book for a long, long time.

Dagny rubbed the tattered corner, and blew at the dusty top. A puff of dust made both her and Kenzi cough. After having brushed the dust and rust off the clasp, Dagny unfastened it.

The old, tattered pages inside smelled moldy. Some of the pages were torn or gone, and a lot of the writings were marked off or faded.

After tracing her index finger along the stamped pattern on its cover, Dagny raised her head at Kenzi and asked, "so...are we really here looking for clues of how to defeat my father, or are we here because my mom and Bo need to...have some time together and figure things out?"

"Oh believe me sweetheart, they definitely need to figure shit out together," Kenzi patted her shoulder. "Meanwhile, you and I need to make ourselves useful. We need to get rid of your a-hole father for good."

"But, how do we know that the answers would be in these books?" Dagny frowned at the old book on her lap. "I mean, if any of these books has mentioned anything like that, shouldn't someone have already figured out how to defeat him like a long time ago?"

"Well maybe no one knew where to look for clues?" Kenzi murmured. "Didn't you say that when you were in Tartarus, the Nyx chick told you that if there was an answer it would be in one of these old books?"

"She did," Dagny nodded. "She said that there might be a clue or two in these old books, and it could tell us where to find Zeus' lightning. She also said that we should revisit every place that Zeus had visited when she was here...but we have gone to her apartment and that courthouse place. We found nothing…."

"It's far too early to give up, my dear," Kenzi said as she sat down beside the young girl. She glanced at Dagny's book and added, "now, you need to tell me what this book is about cuz I can't read the Fae shit."

Dagny nodded, but instead of reading, she asked, "what exactly is going on between my mom and Bo?"

"Oh dear," Kenzi smacked her lips and clicked her tongue. "What exactly is going on between those two? That's a very good question. I really wish that I have an answer for you."

"Are they like...dating?" Dagny blurted.

Kenzi raised her eyebrows at the young girl. "Do they look like they are dating to you?"

Dagny shook her head. "Not really…" she said hesitantly. Then, she leaned in and lowered her voice, "but they kissed. I saw it."

"They are not here. In fact no one is here but us. You don't have to be whispering," Kenzi told her. "And for the kissing part, well, sometimes people do kiss each other but they are not-they are not together or anything."

Dagny nodded. "Are they...did they break up or something? I mean, we moved out all of a sudden and now whenever they are in the same room it kinda feels weird."

"Oh believe me, girl, I know, I know," Kenzi growled. She sighed and covered her forehead with her hand. "Break up, moving out, kissing, whatever. It's just...I guess it's just complicated."

After pausing for a second or two, she nudged Dagny. "Seriously, read the book and tell me what it is about."

Dagny nodded again, but she barely went through the first page, before she stopped and started to ponder. After a while, she asked, "is there anything I can do to help them?"

Kenzi let out a heavy sigh. "Believe me, kiddo, if there was anything that we can do for them, I would have already done that. Hell I wish I could just slap them and beat some sense into their stubborn heads but...I guess there's nothing we can do, honey. It's just...it's something that they have to figure out themselves. It's just one of those moments in your life, you know, where you have to go through all the shitz on your own."

Dagny nodded. With her eyebrows furrowed hard, she asked, "will they be okay?"

"Of course they will," Kenzi said. Though, after having studied the concerned look on Dagny's face, she frowned. "Why? Do you know something that I don't?"

"No, I mean, I don't know. It's that...sometimes I woke up at night and I'd see my mom sitting in the dark drinking. She looked...she looked sad."

She carefully picked the word "sad", because she couldn't really describe what she had seen in Tamsin's eyes. There was sadness, and there was loneliness maybe. There was pain, and there was numbness. The rest though, she couldn't tell. There was something that she couldn't quite grasp, that she couldn't quite understand. It was something that she hadn't experienced yet. It was something that she hadn't encountered yet.

Kenzi put her arm around the young girl's shoulder and pulled her closer. After giving her a kiss on her temple, she said, "well...night drinking is just a Valkyrie thing. She does that all the time. I think it's her way to figure things out. I don't know if there's anything we can do, dear. Maybe you can hand her a bottle or something, but I don't think you can fix anything _for_ her."

Stroking Dagny's hair, Kenzi added, "don't you worry about your mom. She's one big, tough Valkyrie. I think she can handle some pondering nights with liquor. She had gone through a lot, and, ya know, there is a ten year gap between her and...pretty much everything."

"Yeah, and that bastard showed up," Dagny hissed. "I wish I could just-"

She had to take a deep breath to stop her anger from taking control over her.

Kenzi squeezed her hand and kept stroking her hair. "Yeah, sometimes when you think that everything is going well, that one big a-hole in your life just has to show up and remind you how much you want to see him die."

Dagny let out some vague curses and a heavy sigh while nodding.

"Alright, young lady, if you are done gossiping, read the book," Kenzi suggested as she flipped the page for Dagny.

Moving her index finger along each line, Dagny quickly skimmed through the book while using an app on her phone to look up those difficult Fae words. After reading the half of it, she shook her head at Kenzi and put the book down. "I think it's mostly about Zeus' affairs. Like one of the those cheap romance novels."

"Did it mention her lightning anywhere?" Kenzi asked.

"Well, it did, but it was like she was using it as a trick to impress her lovers, so…."

Mumbling, Dagny glanced at the other books and scrolls that had fallen off the shelf. A stack of parchments that were loosely rolled together caught her attention, because she caught a glimpse of the text inside mentioning Hades.

She picked it up and opened the binder. After reading the first piece she said, "hey, I think this is about my father."

"Does it say anything like how to kill him?"

Dagny didn't answer her. She was too busy reading. "Not...really, it's just-it's like biography of him, with details."

"Anything interesting?"

"Umm...I don't know. It talks about his birth...childhood...abducting Persephone...Persephone giving birth to twins...hmmm…."

"What?"

"Well, when I was down in Tartarus with...with him, I mean, him in Persephone's form, of course. He mentioned to me that Persephone had given birth to a pair of twins and she sent one of them away. I thought it was just him trying to fool me, you know, but I guess it's true."

"Oh," Kenzi nodded.

"The two children of Persephone's, Melinoe and Zagreus...huh," Dagny paused again, frowning.

"What?"

"I don't know…I mean, I guess I've met Melinoe down in Tartarus. She's a total bitch."

"And?"

"I don't think I've met this Zagreus, but this name sounded familiar," Dagny explained in a frown. After having pondered for a while, she shook her head and gave up. "Maybe I've read something similar when I was doing research on the Greek mythology in school or something."

"Anything else that's interesting about him in there?"

"Ummm not really...it went on and on about his dog...his staff...keys to the gate of Tartarus...his chariot…his four Pyrippi…."

"Wait, there were four Pyrippi? I didn't know that," Kenzi said. "I thought Bo had inside her was _the_ Pyrippus."

"Well it says here that he has four of them. He uses them to pull his chariot around," Dagny said as she put the binder back. "Anyway, I don't see anywhere that mentioned his weakness or how to defeat him in here."

"Well, let's keep looking then," Kenzi told her as she put the stack of parchment papers away.

* * *

Sitting in the couch, Tamsin kept flipping the pages of that book she was holding. Though, she had a hard time remembering anything she had read in it.

She could barely focus on reading. She could barely focus on anything. She was too anxious to focus. Something inside her just made her restless. It made her feel like there were needles underneath her butt and spiders on her back. It made her feel like there was something sharp that was clawing her heart.

She tried to relax, but she couldn't. And the fact that Bo was here, sitting on the same couch with her reading, made it worse.

She'd constantly check on Bo when the brunette wasn't paying attention to her. She noticed that both of them were keeping a reasonable distance in between. That space itself wasn't enough, though, so they put all those books that the librarian had given them between them. It was as if they had built a fort there to keep one person away from the other.

Closing her eyes, Tamsin took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the reading. And when Bo suddenly asked her if she had found anything interesting, she flinched.

"Nope" was the only thing she gave the brunette. She made sure that her voice was casual and relaxed, though she could feel that clench inside her throat like something was prohibiting her from talking.

Bo gave her a smile and a nod. And then, it was that awkward silence again. Everything felt either too heavy or too close. Even breathing had become a burden because it sounded dangerously loud in Tamsin's ears. And the sound of either of them flipping the page would made the other jolt a little.

Tamsin finally gave up. She tossed the book back into the couch and stood up. Heading into the kitchen, she searched for snacks and liquor, because apparently she couldn't survive without them right now.

While getting a bag of snacks from the top cabinet, she saw Bo's concerned eyes again. The brunette was looking at her, worried.

Tamsin let out a quiet sigh as she squeezed the side of the cabinet door. With her other hand pressing against the countertop hard, she lowered her head and took a deep breath.

 _Don't look at me like that, Bo_. She screamed inside. Her anger, her frustration, the feeling of ashamed, they all tried to burst out.

 _Don't look at me like I'm some sort of useless, pathetic victim._ She growled to herself. _I don't need your pity, and I don't need you._

"Is everything okay?" Bo asked.

"Everything's fine," Tamsin replied. She took a few deep breaths, before she went back to the couch with a bag of cookies and a bottle of liquor.

She put the cookie bag on top of the book pile that was between them as an silent offer, and the brunette quietly took a cookie and started to eat it. The way she was eating the cookie, though, looked like she was swallowing secrets, not pastry.

Tamsin read a few more pages, and she quickly gave up again. "I thought that damn Kodama said that we'd find some shit in these books," she complained while brushing the cookie crumbs off the book page.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've certainly learned a lot of stuff about the Primordians and the Ancients," Bo said while secretly thanking every deity she had ever known for being able to have a normal conversation with Tamsin again.

"Yeah? Like what?" Tamsin replied absentmindedly while trying to get a chocolate chip that was stuck between the couch cushions.

"Like the story of Nyx and her kids. How she used to be the Queen of the underworld. How she ruled Tartarus long before my father's reign. Do you know that there is actually a dark palace of hers down there?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Good for her, well not anymore I guess, but...whatever. Have you found anything that says how we might be able to defeat the you-know-who?"

"Not really," Bo shook her head. "It's mostly legends and myths of the Primordians and the early Ancients. It's not focused on my father, or any of the Ancients that we know. Though, it did say that the Cyclops forged Zeus' lightning bolt, and it can be kept in a sack."

"The Cyclops..." Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows. "Any chance we could find them and ask them to make another one?"

"No, because they are all dead," Bo said.

"Great," Tamsin snorted. "Where could that fucking lightning be? We've searched her apartment. We've searched that damn courthouse. We've searched every place that she had ever been to. We found nothing."

"Maybe we missed something. I mean, if Zeus had it hidden somewhere, I'm sure it would be somewhere safe, like a place we wouldn't look at twice," Bo said. "Maybe we should check her apartment again…."

Tamsin groaned. "We've gone through everything in that damn place, Bo," she said. "We've flipped everything over and we've pretty much broken everything in half. We even borrowed a damn X-ray scanner or whatever things that was just so we could look at inside the walls. Maybe she had kept it somewhere else, like having left it to an old acquaintance maybe."

Bo sighed. "Then we have a long list to go through," she murmured. "I'll-"

She suddenly paused and stared at Tamsin's back when the blonde leaned forward briefly. "Tamsin," she said as she pointed at the Valkyrie's back. "I think you are bleeding."

Tamsin frowned and turned back to take look. She saw two long, messy blood trails on her white shirt. The fresh blood dribbled all the way down and stained the couch a little too.

"Ahh, shit," she cursed and stormed into the bathroom, looking for a clean towel.

She knew it was her wings again. Ever since she tried to use her power on Hades but failed, she seemed to have lost control over them. The remaining part would come out randomly and cause a bloody mess. Sometimes she woke up at night, feeling the sheets underneath her drenched in blood. Other times when she was outside, she'd notice people's weird gaze on her back and then realize that she was bleeding again. She had lost count of how many stained shirts she had washed, or how many sheets she had changed in the middle of the night. The worst thing was that for most of the time, she couldn't even feel the pain when her wings came out. It felt as if she had been completely numb. It had driven her crazy.

She took off her shirt and tossed it into the laundry hamper. With a towel in her hand, she tried to clean her back, but she had a hard time reaching those two bleeding spots.

She gave up, and turned on the hot water, thinking she could take a shower and wash the blood off, but then again, she realized that, just like what had been happening recently, she couldn't withdraw her wings.

No matter how hard she had tried, those two bloody nubbins just wouldn't go away. It was as if they were there just to remind her her many failures. They were there to remind her how weak and useless she was right now.

Frustrated, she let the anger inside her chest explode and slammed the toilet seat cover shut. The loud sound caught Bo's attention.

"Tamsin, are you alright?" Bo asked her from outside.

"Yes, Bo, I am fine!" Tamsin yelled. She felt that sore pinch inside her nose. She felt the sting in her eyes. She knew that her tears were about to fall.

Taking a deep breath, she supported herself by grabbing the side of the sink. "I am fine, really."

"Ummm...there's quite some blood on the couch. Are you sure you are okay?" Bo asked

Tamsin bit her bottom lip hard to stop herself from quivering. No matter how much she didn't want it to happen, her tears still burst out. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't maintain her calm, casual voice. She couldn't keep her mind in peace. She couldn't keep herself together.

"Stop it, Bo," she eventually whimpered. "Stop asking me if everything is okay! Stop making all those pointless conversations! Stop looking at me like I'm a beat up dog fleeing in the downpour. Stop treating me like a fucking useless victim! If you got something to say, say it! If you don't, just walk away. I don't need your damn pity, Bo, and I don't need you!"

Everything then went silent. There was nothing but her teeth clenching sobs. There was so much pain inside her. There was so much anger, so much rage. She had no idea why she was so angry. She didn't even know if she was mad at Bo, at Hades, or at herself. She felt crushed. She felt broken.

Pressing her forehead against the mirror, she cried out. Sobs and whimpers forced their way through her clogged throat and through her hand that was covering her mouth. She was a complete mess now, and she didn't care.

The next thing she knew, was a loud sound coming from the door. Spooked, she turned around. There, she saw Bo standing at the doorway. The door was budged open, and the lock was hanging there. The doorknob that had apparently been ripped off was in Bo's hand.

"Go away, Bo," Tamsin pleaded with a gagged voice. She turned away from Bo and swallowed hard. "I don't need you, and I don't-I don't want you to see me like this."

That simple plea seemed to have broken her. She couldn't believe that she was begging Bo to leave her alone so that the brunette wouldn't see how vulnerable and defeated she was right now.

She couldn't believe that things had suddenly turned so ugly and embarrassing. She was naked in front of Bo. She was crying with tears all over her face. She had two bloody bone pieces sticking out from her back and she couldn't make them go away. She couldn't control her power. She couldn't protect herself. She couldn't protect anyone. She couldn't do anything. Her fear and her anxiety, they were eating her inside out, and she tried so hard not to give in, but she couldn't because she was too weak.

Being weak, it was the most shameful thing to her, and now Bo saw it. Now she saw everything.

"Just go away, Bo," she pleaded again with her shaking voice.

"No," Bo replied firmly. She picked up a clean towel and drenched it with warm water. With it, she started to wipe the blood stains off Tamsin's back.

After a few futile grunts, Tamsin gave in. She let Bo clean her while trying to stop more tears from pouring out.

She shivered when Bo touched her wings unintentionally. The brunette immediately withdrew her hand. After making sure that she didn't hurt Tamsin, she continued cleaning the area around those two nubbins.

Bo's heart ached at the heavily bruised skin there. She figured that it was caused by frequent wing release, and she wondered how much Tamsin had suffered without telling anyone.

Moving her fingertip along a muscle above her wings, Bo could feel the tension underneath. "Your muscle, it's pulling really tight here."

After getting no reply from Tamsin, she offered, "do you mind if I...give you some of mine charms?"

Again, she didn't get any reply from Tamsin. There was neither a yes or a no. There wasn't a nod or a headshake. The Valkyrie just stood there with hands gripping the edge of the sink tight and her head lowered.

Bo nervously licked her lips as she sprinkled a little charm on the bruises. She gently ran her fingertips along those tight muscles and massaged them.

Tamsin had to bite her bottom lip again when that warm sensation danced on her skin. It felt so familiar yet so strange. It felt so close yet so far away.

When Bo's charm had finally softened that piece of muscle, Tamsin had finally realized how tight it had been pulled. Suddenly her entire back felt sore, like she had carried too much heavy things for too long.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax under Bo's touch. And slowly, the remaining parts of her wings disappeared, leaving two sore, bloody spots on her back.

She could feel Bo's fingertips circling on them now. The brunette's gentle, charm fueled touch comforted her.

When Bo wrapped her arms around her waist, Tamsin froze. When Bo pressed her warm lips on her back, Tamsin's heart stopped.

With her breath held and her eyes closed, Tamsin clenched her teeth to stop herself from moaning when Bo gently kissed her bruised skin.

They stayed like that for a long, long time. Tamsin could feel Bo's warm breath on her back. She could feel the brunette's warm skin. She could hear a thousand words from her, even though Bo had said none of them out loud.

Hesitantly squeezing Bo's hand, Tamsin told her, "I'm fine, Bo, really. It's just...my damn wings are acting out."

"Tamsin," Bo called her name softly. "I wasn't pitying you, and I want you to know that. I was just worried because you suddenly stopped talking to me and everything. And then...Hades showed up and made that mess, but still you haven't said anything to me. I just wanted to make sure that you are doing fine."

"I didn't stop talking to you," Tamsin protested. "We talk all the damn time."

"You know what I mean," Bo said.

Tamsin sighed. She bit her lips as she squeezed Bo's hand again. "It's just that…" she murmured, "it's just that seeing Hades again made me feel a little uneasy. I wasn't...I wasn't expecting him to show up like that."

Bo nodded behind, though from the tightened grip on her waist, Tamsin knew Bo didn't buy that at all.

She sighed, and said, "Look, Bo. I moved out because it would be better that way, for all of us. It wasn't because I was holding grudges against you or anything like that. We are still friends."

"Are we?" Bo asked as she spun Tamsin around.

"Are we not?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows.

Bo went quiet and started to suck on her bottom lip. Then, she hesitantly stepped back, about to leave the bathroom. However, before she exited, she seemed to have suddenly gained some great strength. Turning back, she took a step forward and looked into Tamsin's light eyes. "Actually, there's something that I need to tell you."

Tamsin frowned at the serious look on Bo's face. "Listening."

Bo clasping her hands together and looked down for a split second, before she gazed into Tamsin's eyes again. "After you moved out, Kenzi asked me what you are to me…."

Tamsin opened her mouth a little. Having suddenly figured out what this conversation was really about, she swallowed nervously. Her heart dangled at Bo's pause, and she couldn't breathe.

"I told her that I don't know," Bo continued. "I told her that I don't know."

The truth that had just come out from her heart granted her relief. Honesty, it had always been the thing between her and Tamsin. It made her feel safe. It made her feel free. In fact, she regretted that she hadn't started this conversation earlier. If she had, she wouldn't have spent so many nights staring at the ceiling or pondering alone.

Hesitantly taking Tamsin's hand in hers, Bo said, "I know...that things between us are kinda fucked up, or _complicated_ if you will...and with all the things happening now, with all the things that had happened, I don't know anything anymore. I've believed a lot of things before. Some of them were proven wrong, so...I really-I really don't know."

Tamsin barely managed a nod while inhaling painfully. She wondered where this conversation was really going, and it was killing her.

"If there is one thing that I know for sure, is that I do care about you, Tamsin. I want to be here for you, always, looking out for you, protecting you and stuff...I know it sounds lame and I don't know if you'd actually believe me, but I will be here for you, just like you'll always be here for me."

"Okay?" Tamsin let that word slip out from her lips nervously.

"I know it sounds selfish, and I don't know if I really am in the position to ask for anything from you, or to even tell you this, but I want to figure things out. I want to be able to answer Kenzi's question, because I want that answer myself too. I just...I don't want to see us drifting apart like this."

She then huffed out a light laugh and shook her head. "Shit, now I don't even know where I am going with this. Anyway…."

Tamsin sighed. The sincerity in Bo's eyes made her smile. She wasn't entirely sure what Bo was asking for, but still, she pulled her lips into a smirk.

"You say that like you are ready to die for me or something, Bo," she teased. When she got a chuckle out from Bo, she suddenly felt the burden on her heart gone. "Better watch your cute little ass first cuz I'm sure I won't be the first one to go down."

Bo bit her lips into a smile and shook her head slightly while still holding Tamsin's hand. The Valkyrie squeezed her fingers gently in return.

A few seconds later, Bo had suddenly realized that Tamsin was shirtless. She cleared her throat and gave Tamsin a smile, before she left the bathroom.

Tamsin went to get a quick shower. She had finally found that moment of peace. For the first time in a long time, she felt content, comfortable and relaxed. She had no idea where things would go between her and Bo. She had no idea where they were really at right now either. However, she felt peaceful enough not to pursue those answers right now.

* * *

After putting on a clean shirt, Tamsin came back to the couch.

Bo was sitting there reading a book, and when Tamsin noticed Bo's serious frown, she frowned. "Found some shit?"

"Umm..." Bo hummed as she stood up. She handed her book to Tamsin and pointed at an illustration on the page that she had been reading. "Does this...look familiar to you?"

Tamsin raised her eyebrows as she stared at the picture. It was a drawing of a female creature hovering above the battlefield. She had red eyes, pale skin and black wings. There was a long, crooked weapon in her hand. She was taking the souls away from the soldiers with it.

After a quick glance at the caption under the picture, Tamsin murmured, "holy...shit. This looks like-"

"-like Dagny, right?" Bo blurted.

"And she's a...she's a Ker?" Tamsin read the caption again. "Hell, I thought Keres weren't real…."

"Well, once I thought Valkyries and Succubi weren't real either..." Bo shrugged. "So, Dagny is a Ker."

"That's...how is it even possible? I mean...Keres were supposed to be Primodians, weren't they? Like...they were supposed to be a total different specie. Us and Primordians, it's like dolphins and humans. How could I have possibly given birth to a Primordian?"

"I don't think Primordians and us are that different, Tamsin," Bo said. "And you heard Lauren, recessive genes are always possible. Or...maybe people just thought that Keres were Primordians but they were really a type of ancient Fae?"

Still gaping at the picture, Tamsin murmured, "wow, my daughter is a Ker? That little rodent who still drools in her sleep is a fucking death spirit who harvest the souls of the dead in the battlefield?"

"Well...actually, Tamsin, if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Keres choose whose soul to take from the battlefield. They are choosers of the slains. Like mother, like daughter, right?"

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry it seems that it took me forever to update this chapter. Was trying to meet a paper submission deadline as well as preparing and scheduling for my proposal presentation, so things have been kinda crazy for me...**

 **Sooo...finally a little Valkubus moment, I hope everyone likes where I am going with them. Like I said, things between Bo and Tamsin are gonna be painfully slow. They are both kinda hurt and broken right now, and so I think it's reasonable that they'd want to be more careful because they don't want to fuck things up. Besides, they need to deal with Hades first.**

 **And finally we know what Dagny is. I know some has guessed Vampire or Grim Reaper, but she's a Ker. Keres are pretty cool too :). In Greek mythology, Keres are the death spirits who take soldiers away. Keres are very similar to Valkyries, but Keres had a more negative image in the myth. People often consider them vicious and vengeful but of course our little Dagny is just a beautiful cinnamon roll. I figure since Tamsin is a Valkyrie and the whole theme is Greek myth, it's nice to have Dagny be something similar to a Valkyrie but more of a Greek myth creature. They are both choosers of the slains, and who knows maybe Dagny is more powerful than her Mama.**

 **Thanks for everyone who is still reading this story. xx**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After carefully reading the chapter about Keres in the book that Tamsin had given her, Dagny closed the book and put it aside.

She quietly sat there with her chin rested on the bar counter and her eyebrows knotted.

Dyson offered her a glass of juice, and Dagny shook her head slightly while letting out a sigh.

"Oh, come on, Wolfman," Kenzi, who sat right next to Dagny, protested as she wrapped her arm around Dagny's shoulder. "She's almost as tall as you! I think she can handle a glass of the good stuff from the top shelf."

"She's only ten," Dyson said with a smile on his face.

"Eleven," Dagny corrected him with a weak voice. "I will be eleven next month."

"Yeah, she'll be eleven next month!" Kenzi exclaimed. "For Valkyrie babies, it's like thirty years old already, okay?"

"Still, eleven, not eighteen," Dyson told them, and then he went to attend other customers.

"And I am not a Valkyrie baby," Dagny grunted in a low voice. "I mean, I am not a Valkyrie."

Kenzi raised her eyebrows at the young girl. "Still upset about that, huh?"

Dagny shook her head. "No, not really," she murmured.

"Then what's all this lost puppy face about?" Kenzi asked as she pinched Dagny's cheek. "Aren't you happy that you finally found out what you really are?"

Dagny nodded, and then she shook her head. After glancing at the closed book, she murmured, "I am, it's just...I thought I'd be one of the good ones…."

Kenzi frowned at her while sucking on her straw even though she had already emptied her glass. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, the book says that Keres are evil. They kill brave warriors and take their souls away," Dagny pouted. "So I'm like...a bad Fae?"

Kenzi sighed. "You are not a bad Fae. You are a good kid."

"But, I'm a Ker, and Keres are evil," Dagny murmured. "I don't want to kill people…."

"And who says you have to?" Kenzi frowned. "I mean, we don't even know if Keres are evil anyway."

"The book says so," Dagny pointed at the pile of books on the counter. "And all the other books says so too."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Fine, let me ask you this. What do all the books say about Succubi?"

"Ummm...they are demons who seduce men in their dreams and later kill them."

"Right, does any of the book say that they are benevolent, nice, or good?" Kenzi leaned in and looked into Dagny's eyes.

Dagny shook her head.

"And does this face-" Kenzi held the face of Bo, who sat next to her, and pulled the brunette closer to Dagny. "-look evil to you?"

Dagny shook her head. After a short pause, she argued, "but...she has killed before. She has taken innocent lives…"

With great hesitation, her last sentence was barely audible. She almost regretted it the moment it fell out of her mouth, because she wasn't sure if she should really mention things like that in front of Bo.

Bo, however, didn't feel offended at all. She sighed and admitted, "that's true. I've taken innocent lives before. Whether it had been intentionally, or unintentionally, it was...it was a terrible past."

"Hey," Kenzi said to Bo. "Bo-Bo, back then, you had no idea what you were. You had no idea that your power could kill people, and you didn't know how to control it."

Bo raised her shoulders and bit out a guilty smile. "Well...still, her argument is valid. I've taken lives."

After a brief pause, she turned to Dagny and said, "Daggs, yes, I have killed people before. I have killed innocent people too, but you are not me. I was lost. I was abandoned. You are not. You have us. You have a family. We would never let you go down that path. I don't know if Keres are good or evil, but even if you do have darkness in you, we won't let it control you, okay?"

Dagny took another glance at the book. Then she lowered her head and peeked at the pale gray handprint under her shirt. "But...what if...what if Hades takes control over me like he did to you? You said it yourself, that it was something you were unable to harness. The bond between you and him was too strong, because you share his blood. I...I share his blood to, what if-"

"In that case, I'll smack you until you stop and cry," Tamsin snorted. She glanced at the upset young girl, and added, "besides, with your battle skill right now, I don't think you can do anything. Even a weak ass human like Kenzi can take you down."

"Hey, I'm right here," Kenzi complained. "And seriously, what kind of compliment was that?!"

Dagny let out a sigh and turned to her mother. "I just...I thought I'd be like you…."

"Well, you are like me," Tamsin said. "Keres take souls of the bravest from the battlefield, so do Valkyries."

"But Valkyries are good."

"Yeah, right," Tamsin huffed. "Say that to all those lives I've taken in my old days. I bet they have a different story to tell ya."

Dagny went quiet. She read the Keres chapter again, before she asked Tamsin hesitantly, "so...you are okay that I'm a Ker?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Whether I am okay with it or not, you are still a Ker," she said. "And seriously, Ker or not, all I see is someone who still drools in her sleep."

"I don't drool," Dagny protested while both Kenzi and Bo burst into chuckles.

"Hey," Kenzi squeezed Dagny's shoulder. "The bottom line is, what Fae specie you really are, isn't going to make us look at you differently. Besides, who the hell knows if the books are accurate? I mean, maybe the author got dumped by a Ker so he decided to bitch her out or something. Let's not focus on that, okay? How about we go dance for a bit, hmm?"

"Sure," Dagny shrugged before she slipped off the stool. She followed Kenzi into the dancing crowd, leaving Bo and Tamsin sitting at the bar two empty seats between them.

Both Bo and Tamsin looked at Dagny and Kenzi, and then when they turned back, their eyes met for a second. Bo smiled, and Tamsin gave her a slight nod in return.

They went back drinking, both looking down at their glasses. With a lot of things bubbling in their hearts, they had a hard time focusing on anything.

After giving Dagny and Kenzi another glance, Bo eventually commented, "she dances just like you."

Tamsin rolled her eyes as she took a look at the young girl. Dagny was dancing like she was trying to throw her own arms off her shoulders. She kept apologizing to people because she constantly bump them with her butt or hit their faces with her hand, and Kenzi would cover her forehead with her hand and close her eyes while having a oh-lord-please-kill-me-now look on her face.

"I don't suck that bad," Tamsin snorted while pouring herself a drink, and Bo laughed.

That was the only conversation they had there. In the loud music, the noisy crowd and everything that was humming and buzzing, they revelled in the moment of silence. It was neither awkward nor heated. They were neither too close nor too far away. It felt comfortable.

Later, Mark stormed in. He practically pounced at the bar and grabbed a mug of beer himself. Slamming his thick case file folder into the counter, he took a gulp and let out a sigh which sounded like a loud hiss.

"Bad day?" Bo asked. She moved over to offer Mark a seat, and then she uncomfortably squirmed a little because she realized that she had sat down right next to Tamsin.

The Valkyrie was suddenly so close to her, and the fact that she became self conscious made her clear her throat.

Mark gave her a simple nod. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said, "damn, we worked for days, and then we finally found a lead on the double murder case committed by Hades. When we got there, the person we were looking for was already dead."

"Dead as in Hades did it?" Tamsin frowned.

Mark nodded again as he banged his fist on the counter. "Yep, he did it. Now we are back at square one. Fuck!"

"So he killed another person..." Bo murmured, feeling the anger tearing her apart. "Who did he murder this time?"

"Someone who had made frequent contact with the previous two victims when they were working at the adoption agency," Mark said. "And then, she suddenly stopped contacting them and kinda went off the grid since. We thought we'd have a little chat with her and figure out why she was contacting those two back then."

"Maybe she wanted to adopt a kid? Or maybe she wanted someone to adopt her kid?" Bo guessed.

"Well those were two of our many theories, but now we'll never know. Fuck," Mark cursed again. He combed his hair with his hand impatiently and let out a heavy sigh. "Now all trails are cold, again."

Tamsin and Bo glanced at each other, before they both turned back to Mark.

"Hey," Tamsin said. "If you don't mind, I think I can take a look at your files. You know, I was a detective once."

"Dyson didn't let you look at the files already?" Mark narrowed his eyes.

Tamsin shrugged. "I never really asked him. I was busy...settling down, you know, with a kid and everything."

"Actually I haven't read the files either," Bo explained. "So, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, I absolutely do not mind," Mark said as he handed them the folder. "And now if you two excuse me, I'm gonna shoot some pools."

* * *

Sitting in Tamsin's couch with a stack of files in her hand, Bo glanced at the Valkyrie who was now concentrated on reading her files. Then, she looked at Dagny. The young girl had already passed out in a recliner in the corner of the room, and now she was snoring softly. Bo chuckled.

"What?" Tamsin murmured without moving her eyes away from the files.

"Nothing," Bo replied, but after a few seconds she added, "it's just...it's been forever since we worked on a case together."

"Well, I certainly hope that your detective skills have improved while I was gone then," Tamsin commented.

Bo was about to say something, but a loud gasp from Dagny interrupted her. The young girl fell off the couch in her sleep and crashed into the ground. Two huge wings that had suddenly grown out from her back flapped lazily in the air.

Still half asleep, Dagny blinked her droopy eyes as she stared at Tamsin and Bo. Then she groaned and stood up. She stumbled around, knocking everything around her off while trying to make her wings go away.

"You, stand still," Tamsin ordered as she firmly grabbed Dagny's shoulders. Looking into the young girl's confused eyes, she said, "breathe."

Dagny took a deep breath. "Now what?" She murmured, feeling her power rushing inside her body.

"Now calm them down and withdraw them," Tamsin told her.

Dagny did her best to calm her wings down. She managed to fold them behind her back. However, she couldn't call them back. After having tried a few times, she whined. "I can't..." she murmured embarrassingly. "I don't even know how they got out. Are they always like this, or is there something wrong with me?"

Tamsin sighed. "There's nothing wrong with you. Wings are like this," she explained. "They are hard to control at first, but you'll get there. Just don't panic, and breathe."

"I just want to go back to sleep. Why can't they just go away..." Dagny pouted while looking at her fluttering feathers.

"Well, it's okay if you want to sleep with your wings out," Tamsin told her.

Dagny nodded. She glanced at her own bedroom, before she turned to look at her mother, Bo and all those files scattered on the couch. "Can I sleep here?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Sure," she grunted as she went to get a sleeping bag. While she was doing that, Bo went into Dagny's room and got her blanket and pillow. They quickly put the things down on the floor and made a bed for Dagny.

"Just lie down on your stomach," Tamsin told the young girl as she helped her to lay down.

Dagny buried her arms under her pillow and turned her head sideways. She closed her eyes, and soon she drifted into sleep. As her breath slowed down, her wings disappeared.

"Finally," Tamsin murmured, before she sat back into the couch and picked up the files she had been reading.

Bo chuckled softly. After making sure that Dagny was fast asleep, she turned to Tamsin and looked at her intently.

"What, chuckles?" Tamsin asked absentmindedly.

"Oh, ummm nothing. I mean, yesterday you needed help to make your wings go away, and now you are teaching her how to do it like a pro," Bo teased, and she almost got kicked off the couch by Tamsin.

"It was my damn wings' fault, okay?" Tamsin argued. "And who the fuck knows what happened to me during this rise and rebirth shit...maybe I was broke or something."

"What do you mean?" Bo asked softly. She suddenly got concerned.

Tamsin bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes. After swallowing for a few times, she eventually said, "I don't know if I still have my power, Bo. It just...it wasn't working like it should be. Maybe I just don't have it anymore."

Bo leaned in and held Tamsin's hand. She gently squeezed it, before she said, "it's been ten years. Your physical form has been destroyed, sent to another dimension, and then transformed back. It might take a while before everything returns back to normal."

"It better, cuz I'm so fucking tired of this bursting wings bullshit," Tamsin grunted and checked her back in reflex. After finding no blood trails, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Did they act out again?" Bo asked.

"No," Tamsin shook her head. It was then that she had realized that ever since Bo helped her to withdraw her wings, there hadn't been a single incident. As she thought about that, Bo's charms seemed to have come back to her again, tickling her heart.

Bo chuckled as she picked a black feather off Tamsin's hair. "So, my charms are good, huh?" She teased.

The sound of the Valkyrie clearing her throat uncomfortably made Bo realize that how much she sounded like she was flirting.

Bo nervously cleared her throat and put both of her hands back on her lap. She thought she'd say something, but she wondered what she could possibly say to make this situation better instead of worse.

Though, Tamsin seemed to have quickly ignored what had happened. She just gave Bo a casual glance and asked, "so, what do you think of the case, hmmm? Did you find anything worth investigating?"

"I don't know..." Bo murmured. "I mean, the first two victims...the only connection between them was that they worked in that adoption agency for a while. The third victim...other than the frequent phone calls she made to them for a week or two, there was nothing that could connect her to them."

"And you are sure that this adoption agency had nothing to do with you?"

Bo shook her head. "I don't think so. After Lou Ann took me away from Tartarus, she delivered me to my parents in person. I don't think there was ever an adoption agency involved."

Tamsin nodded. She pondered for a while, before she said, "well...when he...when Hades was here that day, he basically said something like he came into town for a reason. Maybe he was talking about the third murder?"

"He could be, but why did he kill her? What does he really want? Is he looking for something?"

"Duh, we already know that," Tamsin rolled her eyes. "You don't plan ten years ahead just so you could get out from the bottom of that hellhole to kill some random Fae. Maybe he needs something for his big plan, and these people know where to find it."

"What could he possibly need? Zeus' lightning? Like if he could get it first, he could be sure that we couldn't kill him?"

"But, these people have nothing to do with Zeus," Tamsin said. "They were just...normal Faes."

"Well, it could be something else. Maybe a legendary weapon that he needs?" Bo frowned. After a long pause she added, "also, he took Lauren's serum. Why? Lauren said it would only work on humans. Do you think that she might be wrong about it?"

"Do I look like a Nobel prize winning scientist to you?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows at Bo. Then, she sighed and continued, "honestly, whether that serum would work on Hades or not, I don't think he took it because he wanted to use it on himself. He's too arrogant, Bo. To him, he's the most powerful person in the entire world. He wouldn't possibly want anyone else's power, because that would prove that someone else is more powerful than him. I think he took it because he needed it for something else."

"Yeah like what, turning a bunch of humans into conduits that won't last for a week?" Bo murmured, and Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"Let's...let's keep reading then," Bo suggested. "There has to be a clue or two in these files."

Tamsin shrugged. "We should probably read those cases the first two victims worked together. Their only connection is this agency. It has to be something in there."

"Sure, which case do you want to look at first?" Bo asked as she held up a thumb drive that was tucked into the folder.

Tamsin pulled out a laptop from under the couch and put the thumb drive in. She groaned when she saw that there were over a hundred cases folders in there, each labelled with a name and a string of numbers. "I guess it would probably be faster if we split the workload," she suggested.

"But, I don't have a laptop here," Bo murmured.

Tamsin sighed. "Fine, why don't you use mine and I'll go get the little rodent's?"

After handing her laptop to Bo, she went into Dagny's bedroom and got her laptop out. "I hope I don't accidentally click into her love diary or whatever...I might have to claw my eyes out if I do," she grunted as she pressed the power button.

She wasn't expecting a loud music during boot. Dagny flinched in her dreams, and her wings suddenly burst out again, throwing a puff of black feather into the air.

Though, instead of waking up, the young girl murmured something vague and fell asleep again. Her restless wings flapped for a few minutes, before they disappeared again.

"Wow, is this how the nights here normally goes?" Bo asked curiously.

Tamsin shook her head. "Not every night," she said, "but there has been a couple of nights like this. Wings are very hard to control. It has something to do with your mood too, so…."

"Oh," Bo nodded. "So her wings are acting out tonight because she was kinda upset about the fact that she's a Ker?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Could be. Or it could be that wings are still quite new to her and she needs more time to get used to them. She also needs some training."

"How are you gonna train someone that you thought only existed in legends and myths?" Bo asked.

"Well...you try one thing, and when it fails, you try another," Tamsin said.

"Do you even know what she is capable of? Like...what exactly does her power do?"

"She can choose who to slay and then slay them, I imagine," Tamsin said simply. After a long gaze at Dagny, she murmured, "that's what the myth says about Keres. They'd hover above the battlefield and choose the bravest warriors. Then, they'd take their souls. Well, it's probably not entirely accurate, just like all other myths."

She went quiet for a long time while pondering. Then, she said in a low voice, "here is what I do know. I think she's pretty powerful. Her power probably can bring out negative feeling in people's mind, or even take the good feelings away. Like...remember when she first changed into her true form in Tartarus and attacked us?"

"Yeah, I do remember. I got hit. It hurt like shit, and it felt like I could never be happy ever again," Bo commented.

"Yeah, I assume that her power is kinda like mine. It alters people's mind, mood or thoughts. It put things in your head forcefully... then of course she has wings so I'm sure she could fly too once she masters them."

"What about her crimson weapon? Do you think it has some sort of special power?"

"It probably does, and if I'm right, it probably has everything to do with the soul taking part," Tamsin explained. "I saw her attacking Hades with it, and it actually hurt him. That crimson energy, it is probably the essence of her power. I saw it leave a wound on Hades' hand, like something was burning his flesh off."

"Well, good," Bo said.

"I don't really know how she could take souls away, or even if that was an accurate description of her power, but we do need to keep an eyes on her."

"Why? So she wouldn't storm out and commit massacre?" Bo joked.

"No," Tamsin shook her head. "It's just that...we both know that it's inevitable that she's gonna take a life, and maybe many more, at some point. It will have a huge impact on her. If she kills an innocent person, that guilt, it might crush her."

Bo licked her lips and nodded quietly. The guilt she had, that she thought was long forgotten, suddenly struck her again. She had killed before. She had drained people's life, and she had washed blood off her hands. She remembered that guilt, and it still haunted her.

"You know, when I first released my full power," Tamsin murmured. "I did not just kill one person. I killed an entire army, and it didn't even feel real, until later, I just…."

She didn't continue describing her feelings, and she knew Bo would understand it. They were two souls that had been scarred by what they were and where they had been. They both had past that they'd wish never had existed, but their past, they became them.

After a long silence, Tamsin continued, "anyway, we'll have to keep an eye on her."

Bo nodded and squeezed Tamsin's hand again. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," she said while looking at Dagny. The young girl was smacking her lips in her dream, like she had dreamed about something delicious.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go back to the case, okay?" Tamsin suggested. She casually pulled her hand away from Bo's before it became too hot and sweaty. "The first half is yours and the second is mine."

"Deal," Bo nodded.

* * *

They sat there for hours, trying to dig out something useful from the files. They went through one case after another, looking for clues.

Squinting her sore eyes, Tamsin cracked her neck. Then, she took a glance at Bo, and the brunette gave her a head shake.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and went back reading. _How many damn files can a case have?_ She wondered as she looked through each folder. The rows of small icons on the screen was giving her a headache.

She groaned and cracked her neck again, before she clicked on another folder. "Oh, great, this is nothing much in this one…" she murmured while skimming through. "Why can't they all be like this one?"

She found nothing interesting, because there was really nothing in the folder. Unlike many of the folders she had read through, this one didn't have any government documents of the kid or their birth parents. The only things that were in there was a registration form stating that a kid was seeking adoption.

When she was about to close the folder, she caught a glimpse of Dagny. She was surprised that Dagny was awake and sitting on the floor staring at them.

"Hey, go back to sleep," Tamsin told the young girl.

"My back's burning," Dagny replied.

Tamsin sighed. "Do you want an ice pack?"

Dagny nodded, and Tamsin went to get her a pack of ice. After Dagny lay back down on her stomach, Tamsin slowly rolled her pajama up and placed the ice pack on her back. "Try to go back to sleep, okay?"

Dagny nodded again, though instead of closing her eyes, she stared at Bo and Tamsin curiously.

Tamsin turned to the laptop again. She closed the folder while giving the folder name a last glance. "Bye, Zagreus0018752," she murmured.

"Did you just say Zagreus?" Dagny asked.

Tamsin raised her eyebrows and looked at her daughter. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing...I was doing research on the Ancients the other day with Kenzi. We went to the Morrigan's library, and there was this old scroll about Hades, like a biography of him or something. It said that he and Persephone had twins. One of them was Melinoe and the other was Zagreus."

Tamsin paused. "Wait, he actually had twins with Persephone like he had told you in Tartarus while impersonating her?"

Dagny nodded. "Yeah, he said something like...Bo's mom sent her away and that inspired her. She sent one of the twins away from Tartarus. I thought it was just something that he made up in order to trick me into believing him, you know, until I read that scroll. Since we met Melinoe in Tartarus, I guess the one she sent away was the boy, Zagreus. That's not a very common name, right?"

"No, it's certainly not," Tamsin murmured. She turned to Bo, and the brunette was looking right back at her.

"You are not seriously thinking what I'm thinking, are you?" Tamsin asked Bo.

"I may actually am," Bo said. "Let me see the files."

She took the laptop away from Tamsin and checked the folder herself. "There's nothing here," she commented. "There's only a registration form or something of putting him for adoption by the agency. They don't know his birth parents. They don't know his DOB. They don't know anything about him. According to the form, someone dropped the kid off at some orphanage or something, and then that place contacted this agency. All other records are sealed."

Tamsin bit her nail and murmured, "I think it's totally crazy that we are even considering this...but what if-"

"-what if Hades didn't kill these people for something, but _someone_ ," Bo said as she pointed at the child's name on the form. "Him. What if this is his son and he's looking for him?"

"It's...well, we'll have to prove that this Zagreus is _the_ Zagreus first," Tamsin said. "I mean, Zagreus is a rare name, but it could totally be someone else."

"Yeah, but then it would be too weird that he was killing two people who previously worked on this case, right?" Bo said. "And look at the time. The third victim started contacting the first two right after this case had been opened. Then...two weeks later, his case had been closed, and the third victim suddenly stopped contacting them and went off grid. This is too much of a coincidence if this Zagreus isn't Hades' son."

"Coincidence or not-" Tamsin stopped when she noticed that Dagny was sitting up again. She was listening to their conversation intently.

"Hey, you," she ordered. "Go back to sleep."

Dagny tilted her head and bit her bottom lip. "Can I have some ice cream?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "It's three in the morning, missy. No ice cream. Now lie down, before I make you."

Dagny immediately lay down. She wrapped herself in her blanket, and pleaded, "can I have my horse then?"

Tamsin growled. "You are almost eleven! You don't need a stuffed horse to help you fall asleep."

"Pretty please?" Dagny grinned.

Tamsin let out a frustrated groan. Then, she went to fetch Dagny's stuffed horse for her. "Now, can you shut up and go back to sleep?"

Dagny grinned at her again, before she closed her eyes with her horse tucked next to her pillow.

Bo swallowed her chuckles down when Tamsin sat back down beside her. She cleared her throat and whispered, "if this Zagreus is really my half brother, it would explain the murders. Persephone sent him away from Hades, and Hades is looking for him now. Somehow he found out about this adoption agency, and he went after the two people who worked on his case. He got the info he needed, and then he killed them. He found the third victim, got the info he needed, and then he killed her too. Why would he be looking for him, though? I suppose he's not looking for some quality father-son time, is he?"

"Well, he did seek you out. Maybe he's doing the same thing now, looking for another lost child," Tamsin whispered back.

"But...the reason he was looking for me, was that I have the Pyrippus in me, and I am essential to his plan."

"Maybe you are not his only _plan_ ," Tamsin said. "Remember when you defied him, he umm...he decided to make another kid? Maybe now he has realized that Dagny wouldn't follow his orders either, so he went for another one."

She frowned at her own theory, before she quickly shook her head and murmured, "no, wait, that doesn't make sense...why didn't he use Melinoe first? She seems to be loyal to him, and she's the daughter of two Ancients. Why did he go for you first? If he really needed his son, why didn't he look for him before? Why now? He could give the Pyrippus to either of them, but why did he give it to you?"

Bo shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing hard. "I don't know. Maybe the Pyrippus just-"

She stopped abruptly, for there was a spark of thought flashed in her mind. Before she could grasp it, it went away.

"What?" Tamsin asked, concerned.

Bo bit her lip and shook her head, trying to figure out what had occurred to her but that idea seemed to have been a grain of sand that disappeared in the ocean.

She blankly stared at the sleeping Dagny as she traced back the things she had just said or did. She traced back to anything that might have made that idea come to her.

Her eyes fell on Dagny's right arm. The young girl had put it around her stuffed horse while she was sleeping.

 _Horse_. That word popped out, and it made her heart thump. The spark came back, even though it wasn't entirely clear.

"Horse..." Bo murmured in a low voice.

"Huh?" Tamsin frowned.

"Horse...Hell horse...Pyrippus," Bo said. "Pyrippus, or should I say, the four Pyrippi of Hades? Remember what the old tree dude told us? Hades had four Pyrippi, and he used them to pull his chariot. Four Pyrippi, four children."

Tamsin gaped at her. At first she was too shocked to make any comment. A while later, she murmured, "wait, you are not seriously thinking that...his four Pyrippi are in fact his four kids, are you?"

"Why not? It would all make sense. Whether it's a metaphor of us, or it's really some raw power inside all of us...what if what he needs isn't just me, or any of us alone, but four of us together? What if...all four of us are essential to his plan?"

Instead of answering her, Tamsin pondered with her eyebrows furrowed hard. Then, she looked into Bo's eyes and said, "remember when we were down in Tartarus, we met the second Sphinx, which was really one of Nyx's kids?"

"Mhm," Bo nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure of where Tamsin was going.

"Remember that riddle he told us? One rides death. One inhales life-"

"-one corrupts heart and one lost or something?" Bo murmured.

"Yeah, that. Then, it was something like together they gallop and-I found it weird back then, cuz I wondered why he'd use the word _gallop_ -"

"Horses gallop. He was talking about horses."

"He was talking about you, all four of you," Tamsin concluded. She pointed at Bo, "one inhales life." Then she pointed at Dagny, "one rides death. And...the Nyx chick said that Melinoe's power would make people want to hurt each other…."

"So she's the heart corrupting one," Bo murmured. "And then, my half brother who got sent away. He's the long lost one. Oh Gods...if this is true, it this is true…together we gallop-"

"-and the Hell gate opens," Tamsin completed her sentence.

Then, they looked at each other in silence, with a look of horror on their faces.

* * *

 **A/N: a major development in terms of the plot! And a little Valkubus moment too! Hope everyone likes this chapter. xx**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

After a while, Bo had finally recovered from the shock. "What-what does this mean?" She exclaimed. Her voice got too loud, and it caused Dagny's wings to burst out again. Black feather exploded in the air.

After the black cloud had fallen to the floor, Tamsin spat out a feather that had flown into her mouth. Then, she pulled another one out from her hair. She rolled her eyes at the sleeping young girl, before she said, "well, I think _hell gate opens_ is very self explanatory."

Dagny murmured something in her sleep, and that made Tamsin lower her voice. She turned to Bo and warned, "and stop yelling 'cause I had vacuumed this place for three times yesterday! Her damn feathers are everywhere! If she throws out her wings again, I swear to Freyja I'm gonna whip your cute ass into doing the cleaning later."

"Okay, okay," Bo whispered as she moved closed to Tamsin. "I know it says together we gallop, the hell gate opens, and I guess...it is a clear message, kinda. I mean, it's definitely not something good, right?"

"Duh," Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"But, what does that really mean? What does it mean by together we gallop? Will the hell gate open when the four of us are together? Are we supposed to do something together to open it, or the fact that we are together will open the gate? What is hell gate anyway?"

"I have no idea," Tamsin said, "but I know one thing: opening the hell gate sounds like something Hades would be interested in."

Bo went quiet and pondered for a long time. Then she murmured, "Gods...if this is why he's looking for my half brother, we need to find him first. We also need to figure out what this hell gate is, and how you could open it. We still need to figure out where Zeus' lightning is, and there's Dagny experiencing her Fae power too."

After having been completely shocked for a while, she let out a deep breath and whispered, "I'm gonna need a minute to just…."

She threw her hands into the air, and then she paused there without finishing her sentence.

"Calm your tits, okay?" Tamsin said as she squeezed Bo's shoulder. "We'll deal with one thing at a time."

Bo nodded and took a deep breath. She took out her phone and said, "I'll call Mark and Dyson and tell them about my half brother. They can track down Zagreus while you and I look for clues in those old books and shit. Hell gate first, then Zeus' lightning."

Tamsin nodded. "While we do that, Kenzi can watch that little rodent," she murmured as she pointed at Dagny.

Bo started to dial, but before she hit the call button she paused there and went into a trance.

"What?" Tamsin asked in a whisper.

Bo shook her head as she unconsciously clutched her chest with her empty hand.

"Bo?" Tamsin leaned in with a frown.

"I'm fine," Bo muttered. She hesitantly looked down at her own chest, where that gray handprint was. It wasn't glowing or hurting her right now, but the idea of it would glow again made her flinch.

"Hey," Tamsin said as she placed one hand on Bo's cheek and forced the brunette to look at her instead of the handprint. "I know what you are thinking right now and I seriously think you should stop. You gave me a long ass speech a while back about how you won't let him control you again, remember?"

Bo licked her lips nervously. She looked away from Tamsin and said, "what if when four of us get together, he somehow automatically gains control over us? What if when we are together the bond of the blood becomes too strong for me? You read it in the myth too, Tamsin. He rides his chariot, and that was pulled by four hell horses, us. That's a chariot of death, and we are pulling it. What if-"

"There are too many what-ifs, Bo, and we don't know which of them will happen, or if any of them shall happen. We probably should just focus on the things that we know. Right now, we know that this Zagreus might be your half brother and Hades is probably looking for him. The four of you somehow has the power to open the hell gate, and that is probably what Hades is after. So far, Zeus' lightning might be the only thing that can kill him, so, let's focus on finding out everything about hell gate and the lightning's whereabouts."

"More library time then," Bo murmured, and Tamsin gave her a nod.

* * *

While Mark and Dyson were looking for Zagreus, Bo and Tamsin spent the next few days researching about hell gate.

They hadn't made much progress. After spending another two days straight in the library yet finding nothing, they decided to go home and take a short break.

As Tamsin walked into the gym, she froze. "What the f-"

Bo, having heard Tamsin's loud voice, rushed in. She stopped right beside Tamsin, and then she let a few soft chuckles slip out from her lips.

In front of them, the entire gym had been turned into a fortress constructed by blankets and pillows. Some of the fabrics used to cover the cushions were window drapes or floor mats.

The couch Tamsin had just ordered from online store got turned upside down. It was placed right in front of the entrance of the fort like a barricade. The cushions on it had been removed and used to build the fort too.

"Dagny! Kenzi!" Tamsin hissed. "Out, now!"

Dagny stuck her head out from the side, where several pillows formed a window. She grinned at Tamsin while waving at Bo. She got some chocolate smudges on her nose and around her mouth. Her hair was a total mess, where black feathers intertwined with her blonde locks.

"You are eating food in there too?!" Tamsin growled. "Kenzi! Get your ass out and tell me this damn thing is not your idea!"

Kenzi came out from the other side of the fort. "Nope, not mine. Lil' Dagnija wanted to build a blanket fort."

"And then you said yes and let her raid the entire place?" Tamsin shot her a cold stare.

"Well, I might have done most of the raiding part, but that's not very important and we totally shouldn't focus on it," Kenzi argued. "Let's focus on the important shtuff, shall we?"

"What? Should I drive the two of you to the store and get more blankets?" Tamsin snorted.

"Oh, no, we have everything we need here," Kenzi said simply, before she went back inside.

Tamsin turned to Dagny, who was still grinning, and said, "you wanted to build this damn thing because…?"

Dagny cleared her throat and pulled the corner of her pajamas for a few times. Then, she brushed her fingers through her hair to get rid of some of the feathers. "You said I could do anything I want today."

"When did I say that?!" Tamsin frowned.

"Umm...last week when I told you that instead of a birthday party I want to just relax and have fun for an entire day?"

Tamsin choked. The sudden silence around her was embarrassingly heavy. One peek at her phone, she realized that she had remembered the dates wrong because she had spent too much time reading in the library with Bo. Covering her forehead with her hand, she closed her eyes and groaned, "right, today is your birthday. It's today, not tomorrow. Shit…."

Bo leaned in and teased her in a whisper, "you are a bad, bad mother."

"Oh shut up, Bo," Tamsin growled as she punched the brunette's shoulder.

"I texted you like two days ago, dude," Kenzi told her as she slapped Tamsin's shoulder. "And seriously you didn't set up a reminder or anything?"

Tamsin sighed. "Since when do I read your texts, human? Besides, I was struggling with all those old scrolls, and I really didn't-"

Realizing that she was spitting one excuse after another, she stopped talking. After curling her lips at Dagny in embarrassment, she asked, "sooo…what's the plan for today? We do need a birthday cake, right?"

"I want the one with chocolate stripes and cherries and chocolate chips and stuff," Dagny immediately demanded. "And when we eat it, can we all eat inside my fort?"

"Yeah, sure, anything you say," Tamsin drawled. Then she leaned in and whispered to Kenzi, "what chocolate stripes?"

"Don't worry about it, I know exactly what she wants," Kenzi patted her shoulder. "I'm gonna go get the cake, and Bo-Bo, why don't you go get some food for all of us?"

"Sure," Bo nodded. Before heading out, she nudged Tamsin and whispered, "I hope you at least got a present for her. If not, you might have to grab something from the gas station store right across the street."

Tamsin gave her a finger, and Bo laughed as she headed out.

After standing there and watching Dagny go into the fort, Tamsin hesitantly crawled in too. In a corner, she found Dagny, who was lining up cushions to build the wall.

"Hey," Tamsin called, and Dagny turned to her with a cushion in her arms.

"I'm sorry that I got too carried away by hell gate and everything. It's just ummm...as Valkyries we never really do birthdays."

"I know. It's okay, " Dagny nodded. She put the cushion down and used it to prop the draping blanket in the corner. "I was never too thrilled about birthdays anyway. My body grows too fast and birthdays kinda don't seem that real to me. Besides…."

She bit her bottom lip and went quiet for a while, before she continued, "...you died the day I was born. It wasn't something I'd like to throw a party for."

"Hey, I'm back now, and I'm alive. You can celebrate it all the way you want," Tamsin shrugged.

Dagny nodded. She pulled a few feathers out from her hair, before she said, "I've had at least five incidents when you and Bo are out. I'm just...I can't control them-"

Like trying to prove her point, her wings burst out again, pushing everything behind her backwards forcefully while throwing a puff of feathers into the air.

Dagny groaned and covered her face in embarrassment. "See? They are just being super stupid right now."

Tamsin sighed and scooted forward. She gently held Dagny's wrists and moved her hands away from her face. "They are not being stupid," she explained. "We release our wings when we feel threatened or when we feel the need to fight. It's a defense mechanism. When you are anxious, afraid or angry, your body thinks that you are in danger, so your wings come out to protect you."

"But, I am not feeling threatened right now," Dagny said, beyond confused.

"Well, you are being very anxious, and I can see that you are deeply worried about something," Tamsin told her calmly.

"Of course I am. I mean, it's not like I am afraid of him or anything," Dagny bit out. "I am not afraid of him."

"I know, but you are worried about what he might do to you, aren't you?" Tamsin asked. "Anxiety hit you since we told you about the hell gate thing."

Dagny lowered her head. "I'm just...concerned. I don't even know how to control my power. What if he uses me like he used Bo? He can control her. It would probably be easier for him to control me..."

"She broke that bond, and so can you," Tamsin replied. "Right now, we focus on battle training and figuring things out, okay?"

Dagny nodded after a long pause. "Do you think...I should talk to Bo about being controlled by Hades and everything?"

"Yeah, I think you should do that," Tamsin said in a soft tone. She stared into Dagny's light eyes and continued, "ready for your birthday gift?"

Dagny's eyes shot wide open. "You have a gift for me? Where is it?" She exclaimed as she looked around curiously.

"Relax, it's not wrapped," Tamsin told her. "I mean, I was planning on doing that before I give it to you but…."

She trailed off as she took off the ring she had been wearing on her right ring finger. She examined it, before she put it in Dagny's hand. She gently wrapped Dagny's fingers around the ring, and she squeezed the young girl's hand. "I want you to have this."

"R-really?" Dagny murmured as she opened her fingers. She looked at the ring closely, examining every dent and every mark on it. She had noticed that Tamsin had always been wearing it, and she had always been curious of how Tamsin had gotten it. "Is this...like where is it from?"

Tamsin gave her a smile. "I've had it for..." she paused, unable to recall when exactly she had acquired it. "Wow it must be at least a thousand years…."

She trailed off as the old memories of wars and blood came back to her. "It was...it was from my first real battle. We were against the Jotunns. It was a bloodbath, but we won eventually. There were only twelve of us survived. We each took a metal ring off our squad leader's necklace and...I don't know, I guess I just never took it off since."

"And you are giving it to me?" Dagny asked. "You...you sure you don't want to keep it?"

Tamsin shook her head. "I figure you might like it, and my old life is...pretty much gone, kid, so no, I don't need it anymore."

Dagny nodded with a wide smile on her face. "It's..." she muttered as she tried to put the ring on. She wanted to tell Tamsin how much she loved it as her birthday gift, but at this every moment she seemed to have a hard time expressing her feelings.

She tried to put it on her ring finger like Tamsin had done, but it wouldn't fit. She ended up wearing it on her index finger instead.

Instead of saying anything lame, she gave Tamsin a quick hug, before she went to finish building her fort.

Tamsin smiled again as she rubbed her thumb against the mark the ring had left on her ring finger. She watched Dagny putting things together while humming some hit song. Time had stood still for them for now.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Bo brought home Dagny's favorite food. Then, Kenzi came back with the cake Dagny had asked for.

Just like the young girl requested, they had their meal in the blanket fort. They almost burnt the entire fort when they lit up the birthday candles, and they had to pick out the black feathers from the icing before they cut the cake.

Everyone had way too much food and laughter. Eventually, they all lolled there languishly.

"Food coma...food...coma..." Kenzi slurred as she leaned against a pillow. She let out a big, loud burp and a few murmurs, before she closed her eyes.

Dagny helped Tamsin and Bo clean up the dirty plates and put up the leftovers. Then she came back into the fort and snuggled into her pillow throne to take a rest.

Tamsin thought she'd take a short nap somewhere else, but everything that she could sit on, sleep in, lie down on, or use as a cover had become a part of the fort.

She sighed and crawled back into the fort again, and she saw Bo trying to gather all the fallen feathers.

"Just leave it..." Tamsin sighed. "I'll vacuum them later, after the rodent's done playing house."

Bo nodded. She looked around, before she sat down in the corner. Holding a pillow in her arms, she looked at Tamsin and said, "so, a short break?"

Tamsin shrugged and grabbed a pillow. She lay down and rested her head on it. However, being overly tired, she had a hard time falling asleep. After rolling back and forth for a few times, she groaned and opened her eyes again.

Bo, too, had put a pillow under her head. She was lying next to her, with a fairly reasonable distance between them. She gave Tamsin an exhausted yet warm smile when she saw the Valkyrie open her eyes.

"Maybe you should stop staring," Tamsin complained, "cuz it's creepy to stare at people when they are trying to fall asleep."

"I am not," Bo said. "I just...I can't sleep."

"Well, try," Tamsin murmured. After a short pause she added, "also stop thinking about how Hades is gonna use you and all that kinda shit."

"It's Hades, Tamsin," Bo said in a low voice. "I really wish I could stop thinking about what he has planned for me."

Tamsin let out a deep sigh as she lay on her back and stared at the colorful blanket above her. "Thinking about it or not, what's gonna happen is gonna happen. We can't change that. We have to focus on the things that we can do."

"I know, I just-" Bo murmured, tapping her fingers on her stomach unconsciously. "He once told me that the bond between me and him is unbreakable, because I share his blood. I know how strong that bond can be, Tamsin. Remember how he controlled me?"

"Oh believe me, I remember, and I also remember that you broke free from that bond, and you sent his ass back to Tartarus," Tamsin said. "If he tries to control you again, you do that instead of whining."

"Hey," Bo nudged the Valkyrie. "I think I'm allowed to worry about me being turned into a life-sucking monster, Tamsin. Besides, who was the one who whined about her coming back might be Hades' plan all alone, hmmm?"

Tamsin hit Bo's side with her elbow and Bo chuckled softly.

"Who was the one in tears saying that she might have lost her power, hmm?" Bo teased again, and got hit by a pillow in her face.

When Tamsin smashed the pillow at her again, Bo grabbed it and grinned at the blonde. "Now suddenly you are all brave and determined while telling me that I should stop whining? "

Tamsin snorted. "Isn't that what we always do?" She replied. "You whine, I slap you and tell you to get your shit together. I'm down, and you choke me while telling me that I should fight."

Bo couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, it seems that way. Just like the old times huh…."

She trailed off as she gazed into Tamsin's light eyes. A subtle smile appeared on her face, and she whispered, "Tamsin, you have...changed."

Tamsin frowned at the conclusion. "No, I haven't."

"Yeah, you have," Bo said. It was something she had noticed for a while but never had said out loud. It wasn't something that she had picked up with her eyes or her ears. She just felt it through her skin.

It could be her aura, Bo thought. It wasn't burning as hot or as bright. The heat had cooled down and the flames would no longer roar like wildfire, but there was a gentleness, a soft glow, a nervous flutter in it. There was a hue that she thought she had long forgotten. It was something familiar. It was something she had seen before the Valkyrie's rebirth. She had been drawn to it, in a way that she had never known. It used to make her feel alive and free, and now it made her feel like she was coming home.

She thought she might just be nostalgic, since she had lost Tamsin for ten years, but whatever reason it was, she felt that the flame was pulling her in again. It was like the Tamsin she had first known had come back, with more shades and colors.

She wanted to figure her out. She wanted to figure the whole thing out. She wanted to feel alive again. She wanted to belong.

She reached her hand out, and ran the back of her index fingers along a stray lock that was hugging Tamsin's cheek. "Yeah...you have," she repeated.

Tamsin barely managed a smirk. It was already hard enough for her to keep her voice calm. "Well, it's been ten years, remember? Maybe you remembered me wrong, or maybe it is you who's changed, because apparently I got stuck in some weird dimension while you were living your rollercoaster life."

Bo smiled quietly. "I don't think I remember you wrong, Tamsin," she said. No, she didn't remember her wrong. Not even a tiny bit. Tamsin was exactly how she had remembered her. Tough yet vulnerable, with a whole world hidden in those light eyes.

"To me, you've always been incredible, and you still are," she continued sincerely.

Tamsin had to hold her breath just so she wouldn't get lost in Bo's gaze or her soft voice. "Then it must be that after ten years you are too far gone while I'm still right at where I was."

Bo shook her head. "I don't think I'm that far gone," she whispered. No, she wasn't, even though in ten years a lot of things had happened. She was never far from where she had been. She still felt lost. She still felt lonely. A part of her had been stuck between her present and her past. That part of her never left that trailer, where she had watched Tamsin turn into a puff of shiny feathers.

"I mean, I've changed, but I guess at the same time, I haven't," she sighed.

"No, you certainly haven't," Tamsin said softly. She took a deep breath when all those memories of Bo poured out. After all these years, she was still the same. There were still stars in her eyes and flames in her heart. After all the things that had happened, she was still helplessly in love with Bo.

Tamsin sighed and placed her trembling hand on Bo's cheek. She drew the brunette near and pressed her lips on Bo's to give her a barely there kiss.

She quickly pulled back while swallowing hard to calm her pounding heart, but Bo didn't let her run away. The brunette refused to let her withdraw her hand, and leaned in.

Tamsin closed her eyes when Bo's lips fell on hers. That whimper she had been trying to hold back the whole time had finally escaped. She felt that something had exploded inside her. It had destroyed her, but at the same time, she felt complete again.

The kiss ended shortly, when neither of them could handle the burning heat that was driving their hearts crazy. They both panted while wondering what had really happened.

Bo eventually reached her arms out and wrapped them around Tamsin's waist. She pulled the Valkyrie closer and held her firmly.

Tamsin froze in her arms while trying to find a place appropriate enough to rest her sweaty hands. She ended up pressing them lightly against the side of Bo's waist, as if she was afraid that she'd break this moment if she held Bo tighter.

There was so much feelings in her heart, so much that it pained her to just think about them. She just closed her eyes and listened to Bo's heartbeat. It was beating as fast, if not faster than hers.

Everything else seemed to have ceased to exist, Until, she heard a buzz.

"Hey, I think it's your phone," Tamsin said after she had made sure that it wasn't the buzz that bubbled in her head, but a buzz from between Bo's breasts. "Well either that or your boobs are singing."

Bo chuckled softly. At this moment, she didn't want to check her phone at all. In fact she regretted for not having silenced it earlier.

It kept buzzing, and she eventually sighed and pulled it out. "It's Dyson," she announced after having taken a quick glance.

"What does he want?" Tamsin asked lazily, still stunned by what had just happened.

When Bo listened to the voice message that Dyson had left her, she jolted and sat up. "They've found him, Tamsin. They found Zagreus!"

* * *

 **A/N: To the guest who's worried about no updates in a while, everything's fine :). I was on vacation in Panama City Beach, FL last week so I didn't write anything.**

 **Thanks for reading and liking this story! xx**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Walking down the street slowly, Zagre Hunter turned his face slightly. Just as he expected, there was a dirty white pickup truck inching forward in the corner a block away behind him.

He sped up a little, heading to a food truck that was parked on the side. He took his time and studied the menu that was written on the board right beside the truck's rear wheel.

He eventually made an order. As he handed over some cash, he took a glance at the truck's side view mirror.

That dusty white truck had advanced half of a block. Now it was parked outside a store with its engine still on. Puffs of exhaust came out from behind it.

Zagre spun around while taking a bite casually. With a quick glance, he saw two people sitting in there. He couldn't see their faces, but he could feel their gaze on his face.

The pickup truck itself looked normal. It looked like one of the many cars that was roaming around the city all day long. Though, he knew that the truck was following him.

It had been following him since this morning. When he had finished his night shift and gotten out from work, he saw this truck parked across the street.

It hadn't really caught his attention until he saw it again after he had come out from a quick cash store. Then again when he was checking out the headlines of the newspapers from the newsstand.

Instead of heading home as he usually would do, he decided to wander around the city and see how the truck would do. The truck had been tailing him since.

He finished his food and tossed the wrapping foil into the trash can. While waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green at the intersection, he wondered what he should do. Should he figure out a way to get away, or should he confront whoever that was inside the truck?

After he walked across the street, he headed down along the alley where a bunch of restaurants and coffee shops were at.

He took his time and enjoyed some coffee in one of the stores. The truck pulled into a parking slot.

He could tell that whoever was inside was watching him, maybe studying his every move.

He tucked some small change under his empty mug, before he stood up and headed to the back door.

Outside the door, it was an empty alley with a dead end to his right. To his left, it was the intersection where a bus stop was at.

He saw that the truck had now stopped on the side of the intersection, as if it was waiting for him to get on a bus.

He walked to the bus stop. There was no one there. A bus came, but instead of getting in, he just shook his head at the driver and watched it leave.

He headed back into the dead end alley. The truck didn't follow him in, but it didn't leave either.

Taking a deep breath, he turned around, and walked straight to the truck.

With his hands tucked inside his pockets, he squeezed his phone while wondering if he could blind dial an emergency number, should anything go wrong.

"Hey!" He yelled at the truck. "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

After a brief moment of silence, the passenger side door of the truck opened. A woman hopped out.

When Zagre laid his eyes on her, he knew he gasped. He knew he was staring too. He knew that it wasn't appropriate, but it seemed that there was some sort of force inside that woman that made his eyes drawn to it.

She was very attractive. That was the only thing he could come up with. It wasn't just the way she looked, but rather this charm radiating out from her.

Zagre cleared his throat. He thought he should turn away now but turning away seemed equally awkward. "Umm..." he muttered while looking at the woman again. "Do I know you?"

"No, I don't think so," the woman replied calmly. "I'm sorry we followed you. I just...I wanted to make sure that you were safe before starting a conversation with you."

"You wanted to make sure that I was safe? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?" Zagre fired his questions out as he examined the woman standing right in front of him. He noticed that she was wearing a leather strap on her right thigh, and there was a sheathed dagger attached to it. He couldn't help but wonder if the dagger was real, or it was some sort of trendy accessory.

"I know you don't know me, but we really need to talk," the woman told him. She took a step forward, and stopped when she saw that Zagre stepped back cautiously. She gave him a smile and continued, "my name is Bo. I promise that I won't hurt you. I'm just here to talk."

"Oh, I wouldn't trust that l-won't-hurt-you part if I were you," another woman who sat in the truck drawled before she got out. She had a small smirk on his face. Zagre wasn't sure if that smirk was a harmless tease or a warning sign saying that she'd punch someone soon.

"Tamsin..." the woman with a dagger gave her a nudge, before she turned back to Zagre and said, "I'm serious. We really need to talk."

"Why? What is it that you want to talk about? I mean, I don't even know you."

Bo bit her lips and took a deep breath. Then, she said to Zagre, "but I know you, Zagre Hunter."

"Or should we call you Zagreus with no last name?" The other woman, Tamsin, tilted her head and scrunched her nose at Zagre.

* * *

Sitting in the corner booth in an almost empty restaurant, Zagre uncomfortably squirmed o\in his seat. He glanced at the plastic potted plant beside him, before he turned to Bo and asked, "I'm sorry. I really don't think that we've met before. How do you know me exactly?"

"We umm...we found you," Bo carefully chose her words. "There was something that-something that lead me to you."

"Okay…?" Zagre raised his eyebrows.

Bo tapped her fingertips on the table for a while, before she said, "well, I guess there are really no other ways to say this, so I guess I'll just be as straightforward as I can. Zagre, I think you might be my half brother."

A look of revelation appeared on Zagre's face. "Oh..." he drawled. "This is _that_ kinda talk. You looked me up and came all the way here to find me because you think I _might_ be your half brother."

"Ummm, well, I'm pretty sure that you are," Bo said. "I have your adoption records and everything, and-"

"Hey, those were supposed to be sealed," Zagre growled.

"Well, let's say we are very, very good at unsealing shit," Tamsin told him.

Zagre sighed and shook his head. "Fine, so you found my record. What's your point?"

"You were put up for adoption when you were a baby," Bo said. "You don't have a birth record. No one knows who your biological parents are. In fact, someone worked in the adoption agency had to go against some of the rules to put you in the system. And the reason they went against the rules, was because someone else persuaded them to. Someone made sure that you were adopted by some nice people. She also made sure to keep everything low. That was why right after your case was closed, she went off grid."

"Who are you talking about? I mean, yeah, I am adopted, and I guess it's entirely possible that you and I are related, but what are you babbling about? Who's she?"

"Her name was Issa," Bo told him. "We think that she might be the one who took you away from Ta-from where you were born, but there's no way to know for sure because she was recently murdered."

"Okay, I'm very sorry to hear that?" Zagre said. The word "murder" did make him go quiet for a second, but he didn't show much emotions towards it. "I'm sorry that someone who might have taken me away from my birth parents died. It's sad. I get it. Still, where are you getting at? I mean, if you want to ask me about her, or if you want to know if I know anything about her murder, I'm very sorry. I don't know her at all."

"I know," Bo said. "That's not why I'm here. I came here to talk to you about...some family matters."

Zagre examined the look on her face, before he said, "ah, I think I know why you are here."

"You do?" Bo frowned in surprise.

"Of course, I can't believe that I haven't figured it out sooner," Zagre said. "You are my long lost half sister. You probably found about me through some online service or something. You found my adoption records. You came all the way here to tell me , what's next? Are you gonna tell me that our father is dying and that needs money? Are you gonna tell me that our father or whoever that is that we both share blood with died and left us a huge amount of money, but in order to get that amount of money you'll need me to pay you some cash up front first? Or is this some new scams that I'm not that familiar with?"

"Umm...no, that's not what I am about to tell you," Bo murmured. She was a little surprised that Zagre acted unusually cynical and cold towards a possible family member.

Zagre sighed. "Look, woman," he said to Bo. "I'm just an ordinary guy. I am single. I have a shitty job. I don't have any money. My house is still underwater and I still have a huge amount of student loan that I need to pay off. If you came here for cash, you came to the wrong person. I can't help you. I'm sorry."

Tamsin snorted and gave him a big eye roll. "No, you idiot," she drawled. "Had we come here for your money, you'd have walked out without a single penny in your pocket ten minutes ago."

"Trust me, I am not here for your money," Bo said firmly.

Zagre threw his hands into the air in defeat. "Fine, so say we are related. What do you want, hmm? Family reunion? Just want to see me in person and look for some sort of connection?"

"No, I came here to warn you," Bo said.

"Warn me? About what?" Zagre frowned.

"About our father," Bo replied. "We have reason to believe that he killed Issa and two other people who handled your case at that adoption agency forty years ago."

"Oh, okay, so it's still about the murder case," Zagre said. "I don't know where our father is, if that's what you want to know. I've never met him, and I don't even know what he looks like."

"I didn't expect you to know anything about the murder. It's just that...we think that the reason he killed those people is that he's trying to find you."

Zagre paused. He pulled his lips into an awkward curl, before he said, "okay, so...I was taken away from him forty years ago, and now he suddenly wants to find me?"

"Back then, he might not want to give you away. You weren't exactly taken away from them, Zagre," Bo explained. "Your mother sent you away, to protect you from him."

"I still don't understand where you are getting at, lady," Zagre shrugged.

"Think, you dumbass," Tamsin growled. "If daddy would kill three innocent people just so he could find you, how far do you think he's gonna go when he wants something that he shouldn't have?"

"I don't know...kill more? Bomb the whole city? Nuke the planet?" Zagre grunted. Then, he gave both women a big, slow shrug. "Honestly, I don't really care. Right now, I'm much more concerned about things like how to survive till my next paycheck or how to avoid getting evicted."

"You don't care if our father wants to destroy the world?" Bo raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, technically I do, but really, what can I do?" Zagre said. "I'm no superhero. Who is he anyway? A terrorist group leader or something?"

"Well, close," Bo said. "His name is Hades. You may know him from the old mythologies or legends. He's the king of the underworld."

Zagre couldn't help but let out a loud laughter. "Wow, now I think you really need some professional help, miss."

"Right, we drove all the way here just to tell you a lame joke," Tamsin snorted. "Seriously, dude, think. For the past forty years, have you not realized, even once, that you are a not-so-Fae Fae? "

Zagre clenched his lips. "Oh believe me," he said with a bitter tone. "I've realized that a long time ago."

"Right, then you'd know that she's telling the truth," Tamsin said. "Your father is Hades. He has a plan. You, and all your three sisters, are essential to his plan. We came here to tell you that he is pure evil. No matter what he tells you to do, do not do it. No matter how great those shit sounds that comes out from his mouth, do not trust him."

"Please, I'm not stupid. I won't trust a stranger, let alone a _fictional_ stranger," Zagre drawled.

Bo sighed. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but...we really need your help to stop him. Together we could-"

Zagre interrupted her by waving his hand hard. "I really don't have time for you, or your delusional story. And you know what? I kinda wish that Hades is in fact my father, 'cause then I would probably have some amazing Fae power that-hell, amazing or not, at least I would have some power instead of no power at all."

He swung his arm into the arm again, as if he was trying to hit some imaginary enemy. "Just forget it," he told Bo coldly. "I don't know you, and I don't care. Why don't you take your friend and your stupid little story, and get the hell outta here."

He stood up and pointed his finger at Bo. "Stay away from me. You are not my family."

With that, he zipped his jacket and left the restaurant, leaving a very confused Bo and an equally confused Tamsin.

* * *

"So...he's not my half brother?" Bo asked Tamsin when they finally decided to leave the restaurant. "We made a mistake?"

"I don't know," Tamsin murmured as she opened the passenger side door for Bo. Then she got into the truck herself.

Instead of starting the car, though, she tapped her hand on the steering wheel and pondered for a long time, before she continued, "maybe he is, maybe he's not, but...everything would all make sense if he is your half brother, Bo. Otherwise why would Hades kill those people? What else could he be possibly looking for?"

"Should we...should we go home and do more research?"

"Yeah, sure..." Tamsin murmured. She drove along the road in silence while trying to sort the whole thing out. "It's just...how could we be wrong? Him being your half brother could explain everything. Hades has a plan. He needs four of his kids to open the hell gate. In order to do that, he needs to have four kids first, which would explain why he...why he forced me to-"

She could barely say it out loud. Everytime she thought about it, she wanted to puke. It was so hard for her to bring herself back to that night. She knew she had been avoiding it for too long. She knew if she ever wanted to be able to fearlessly face Hades in a battle, she'd have to face that past first, no matter how terrifying it had been.

She took a deep breath, before she continued, "by raping and impregnating me, he made sure that he'd have four kids. But, Persephone sent one of the twins away. He needs him for his plan too, so he went after those people. He hunted them down and forced them to tell him everything they knew about Zagreus before killing them. Everything just-everything just connects. It all make sense. How could this Zagreus not be your half brother?"

"Well, he could still be my half brother," Bo said.

"But he said it himself. He has no power," Tamsin argued. "It's not like he's a human-Fae hybrid or something. He should be pure blood Ancient. You saw what that Melinoe chick could do, and her twin brother doesn't have any power? I don't believe it."

"Well...you know, mutations happen all the time. Keres were thought to be Ancients too, yet you, as a Fae, gave birth to one," Bo said. "I guess it's entirely possible that...as an Ancient, he just doesn't have any power."

"Or, maybe it's a coincidence that the real Zagreus and this Zagre shared the same name," Tamsin said. "I mean, we could still be right. Maybe your half brother was put up for adoption under some other name. Or...this could have nothing to do with Zagreus at all, and we were just following a bunch of wrong leads," Tamsin said.

"It's just..." Bo grunted. "You know, when I saw him I thought...I thought he was my half brother. It was like...a gut feeling or a hunch or something. I thought for sure he was."

"I know," Tamsin nodded. "A lot of his facial features look similar to Hades' too."

Bo sighed. "Maybe...after a while, after the truth sink in, he'd want to sit down with us and-hell, I don't know. It was like he doesn't want to talk about it at all. And I kinda feel that he hates me."

"Well, can't blame him. You look all nice and pretty while he is not," Tamsin commented. "That man has serious anger inside him. He's having a shitty life. Did you see the look in his eyes when he admitted that he had no power? Shit, I thought he'd lose his shit right there and smack someone or something."

"I know," Bo said. "I guess he's really upset about it, and I get it. Living in a Fae world with no power...that must be tough for him. I mean, both Kenzi and Lauren tried to become Fae even though they both knew that there would be some serious consequences. It's just hard. Everybody around you have something special but you don't. And they only spent a few years with the Faes. Can you imagine growing up in a Fae world like that, for forty years?"

"Oh, trust me, I can totally imagine," Tamsin nodded. She took a glance at Bo, before she asked, "so, what do you want to do? Do we head home now? Or do we want to stay here a little longer to see if we could talk to him again later?"

"I don't know..." Bo said, shaking her head slightly. "I guess we probably should at least keep an eye on him. If he is Hades' son, he'll find him sooner or later."

"Good thing is that he hasn't found him yet," Tamsin said. "Which is weird considering he probably has found out about him long before we did."

"Well, maybe he was having a hard time finding him because unlike us, he doesn't have the resources," Bo said. "Or, maybe my father followed the wrong leads just like we did, and he was long gone."

Tamsin snorted. She wanted to say something else, but something was bugging her.

She couldn't tell what it was exactly. It was just a hunch of some sort. She felt that something was off, something that didn't make sense, or something that was wrong.

It was something during that conversation with Zagre Hunter. It made her frown for a split second back then, but before she grasped it, it went away. Now it came back again like a spark before it quickly disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Bo asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Tamsin shook her head. "It's just…."

"Just what?"

"I don't know. Something's just..." Tamsin murmured. She tried to figure out what it was, but she couldn't. She eventually decided to shrug it off. "Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Bo said in a teasing tone. "Tell me."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "How the hell am I supposed to tell you when I don't even know what exactly it is myself? It's just that...something was off."

"What was off?"

"Umm...something in that conversation we just had with him," Tamsin said. "It didn't feel right."

"What is it, Tamsin?" Bo asked. "It is something I said?"

"No, no, it's not you," Tamsin shook her head. "It's him. Something he said...it didn't feel right."

"Okay, let's see what he has said," Bo murmured. "We introduced ourselves. Then he asked me how we knew him. I told him about the murder."

"Nope, nope and nope," Tamsin kept shaking her head.

"Then, I think we talked about his adoption. I told him that I might be his half sister," Bo said. "He thought it was some scam and made a pretty long fuss about it."

"Nope, nope and nope...wait," Tamsin murmured. "The scam."

Bo chuckled. "The scam?"

"No, do you remember what he said back there when he accused you of trying to scam him?"

"Ummm…I don't know, something like does our father need money, did he die and left us something-"

"Yeah, that!" Tamsin exclaimed. " _Our father,_ he said our father. How does he even know that you two have the same father? You only told him that you two might be half siblings before that. You never told him that you two share the same father. How the hell did he know that it would be _our father_ , instead of _our mother_?"

Bo froze. She licked her dry lips and murmured, "maybe...he took a lucky guess?"

However, she knew that it wasn't true, because of the way Zagre had said it. To him, it was a fact instead of a guess. It was something he had already known. Prior to their conversation, he had already known that they shared the same father, yet he acted like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"How did he-" Bo said with a frown. "He knew it before I told him? How?"

"Well ain't that obvious?" Tamsin said. "He found out before we talked to him. Not from us, but from someone else."

"From whom?" Bo exclaimed. "And if he already knew, why did he lie?"

She thought about how Zagre could have possibly found out about the truth, and why he would lie about it. And then, her heart dropped for she realized that there were only one explanation.

"Hades..." Bo murmured. "He must have gotten to him first. He-he must have told Zagre _his side of story_. That was why...that was why he acted pretty hostile towards us."

Tamsin hit the gas pedal hard and made a u-turn at the intersection despite all the honking cars. She drove all the way back to where Zagre lived.

Zagre wasn't home, but he seemed to have made a big mess there. His landlord was trying to clean the place, and when Bo and Tamsin asked him where Zagre had gone to, he impatiently told them that Zagre called him saying that he was moving out.

"Tamsin," Bo murmured after having made sure that Zagre had taken his personal belongings with him and left no forwarding address. "He's gone."

"Oh, I can tell," Tamsin murmured after she tried to call him but got no answer. "Fuck."

* * *

Standing in front of a secluded mansion, Zagre looked at the garden that had been taken over by weeds. Then, he laid his eyes on the old fountain in the middle. The angel statue inside it had broken into half. Water stains, dust and foliage covered the entire basin.

Roses seemed to have grown crazy for some reason. Thousands of flowers draped down outside the wall, poured out from behind the bars of the gate, and covered the backside of the backyard.

Hesitantly grabbing the bar of the rusty gate, Zagre pulled hard. A dying squeak came, and the gate opened slowly.

He headed to the door. The door knocker was too rust to move, so he banged his fist on the door instead.

A moment later, the door opened. A woman in white gown appeared. She casually ran her hand along her long hair and gave Zagre a smile. "You came," she said softly.

Zagre returned her a smile, though it was rather tight. "I ummm..." He muttered while unconsciously rubbing his fingertip along the seam of his pants.

"You have no idea how much this means to me," the woman told him with nothing but sincerity in her voice. She gently held his hand and squeezed it. "I've been waiting for you for days now. I almost gave up. I thought you'd-"

"How could I not show up..." Zagre murmured. He let out a nervous smile, before he continued, "I've always dreamed that one day my real parents would come and save me from my miserable life, and then you showed up. Honestly I thought it was too good to be true."

"Trust me, there's no such thing as too good to be true," the woman told him. "I am so sorry that it took me forty years to finally find you, my poor Zagreus. I promise you that I will never let you leave my side again."

Zagre found her promise extremely comforting. He smiled at her again, and said, "I should probably tell you that I met Bo today. That Valkyrie too."

"I figured, since I told you that you don't have to make a decision until you hear her side of story," the woman said calmly. "So, you talked to her?"

"Yeah, just like you've warned me," Zagre said honestly. "She said that my father was great evil, and that you sent me away because of him."

The woman shook her head slightly. She cradled Zagre's face and looked into his eyes. "Just as I've told you when we first met, those were lies. Your father might not be everyone's favorite, but he is certainly not evil. I didn't send you away, Zagreus. Someone took you from me, from your father. It broke my heart."

She held him in her arms for a while and quietly sobbed. He hesitantly put his arms around her and whispered "mom, I'm home".

After clearing his throat, he asked, "can I ask you something? It's kinda been bugging me for too long."

"Sure, you can ask me anything. I'm your mother, remember?"

"Why don't I have any power? Is there something wrong with me?" Zagre blurted.

"No, no, there is nothing wrong with you, my dear. You see, you were taken away from us long before we could give you your power."

"But...those Faes...everyone that I know are born with their power," Zagre murmured, confused.

"You are not a Fae, Zagreus. You are an Ancient. You are far more powerful than any Fae you've ever known. You are my son. You are the son of Hades, the Prince of the underworld. You are born to rule, not to serve, for the power you shall possess from this moment on."

Her answer gave Zagre a great relief. Knowing that he might be above all the Faes he had known in his life made her feel smug.

"Of course, only if you want to have your power, because I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do," the woman told him.

"Why wouldn't I?" Zagre exclaimed. "For my entire life, I am nobody! I've been mocked, bullied and laughed at. People look at me like I'm a total failure. I'm so done with my life. I need my power. I want my power."

"Then you'll have it," the woman assured him. "Although, I have to warn you. The process will not be easy. There's gonna be a lot of pain."

"I've suffered for forty years already. I can take any pain," Zagre said firmly.

The woman gave him a simple nod. "That's my boy. Come with me," she said. "Let me show you how special you can be."

Zagre nodded and followed her into the old mansion. "So...I kinda did some reading on Greek mythology and stuff after we met the other day….You are...Persephone, right? Hades's wife, my mother, Persephone?"

Persephone gave him a firm nod. "Yes," she said.

"Ummm...there were some quite disturbing things in those books that I've read. Those aren't true, are they?" Zagre asked.

"Most of them are not true," the woman told him.

"They...they said that you were kidnapped by him and he imprisoned you for years," Zagre said in a low voice.

Persephone shook her head slightly. "No, my dear, that's one of the lies forged by Zeus and his followers because he's too jealous of your father's power. He was afraid that if people found out who Hades actually was and what kind of power he possessed, people would flock to your father."

"That's what I thought," Zagre nodded.

"Come on, son," Persephone told him. "It's time for you to know how special you are."  
Zagre nodded again and followed the woman into the old mansion. The thought of having great power made his heart race and his hands sweaty. He had never felt so happy before. He had never had this much hope for his future and his life. Just when he thought his life couldn't get worse, his birth mother showed up with nothing but love. She was going to give him the power he had always wanted. After that, he was gonna meet his father, a person so powerful that people once worshiped him as a God.

He had so much joy in his heart, so much that he never bothered to pay attention to a lot of things. For example, that hint of coldness in his mother's eyes, that eagerness in her voice that seemed a little off, or, the fresh mud under the roses in the corner of the backyard.

The entangled vines covered a thin layer of mud that had been recently dug up and carelessly put back. Underneath, beetles were happily consuming the flesh from a woman's dead body. She still had her eyes open, with the imprint of the last moment of her life. Blood from the slit wound on her neck hadn't gone dry yet. Her white gown had lost its original color because it had been drenched in blood.

* * *

 **A/N: Hmmm, Hades is, again, a step ahead of Bo and Tamsin. And now he managed to turn Bo's half brother against her. Also, he's gonna give Zagreus power. Sibling fight soon.**

 **No Valkubus moment this chapter, but maybe there will be some next chap.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Tamsin and Bo searched for Zagreus. Two days later, the clues that he had left behind led them to an abandoned mansion outside the city. They found Persephone's body under the rose bushes in the backyard, but Zagreus was nowhere to be seen.

They figured that Hades had killed Persephone, impersonated her and lured Zagreus to the mansion. However, neither Zagreus nor the Dark Lord himself stayed there for long.

Tamsin and Bo tried to find them, but they couldn't find anything useful. They had no choice but to go home.

They spent the next few days doing research on hell gate and Zeus' lightning, but it didn't go anywhere. They had gone through most of the books in the library, both the Ash's and the Morrigan's, but didn't find a single book with the description of hell gate. In fact, hell gate was barely mentioned in any of the books. It was as if it didn't exist.

Their reading session was interrupted by a panicking call from Dagny. She told them that she was having a high fever and feeling really weak.

They rushed home and sent Dagny to Lauren's clinic. Lauren examined the young girl and told them, "it's just common Fae flu."

"Just flu?" Dagny asked with her hoarse voice, "but I've never been sick before. Are you sure it has nothing to do with my-my _transformation_?"

"Well," Lauren scratched her hair. "Technically, it has everything to do with your transformation."

Seeing that both Dagny and Tamsin got nervous, she explained to Dagny, "usually when teenage Faes are going through the changes, their immune system goes like a roller coaster too. Right now, yours is probably weak, and that's why you're much more prone to disease."

"I thought I wasn't Fae, but an Ancient or a Primordian or whatever," Dagny murmured while snuffling. "So now I am a Fae again?"

"I actually am not very sure whether you are an Ancient, a Primordial, or a Fae," Lauren answered honestly. "Actually, the genetic difference between the three of them are quite small. In fact, the genetic difference between humans and Faes might be a lot smaller than you think too. We all carry some genes that dates back to the beginning of time. Some of them are still active, others aren't. In your case, though, I found some genes that are so ancient that they are longer active in anyone but you. I think that might be why you are something that we've never seen before. Anyway, Fae or Primordian, you have flu."

Dagny nodded and pondered for a long time, before she asked, "I am just having a flu and nothing else?"

"Yep," Lauren nodded. "I'll prescribe you nothing but lots of rest and plenty of fluids. If you-"

A loud yell coming from a patient room nearby interrupted her. Then a nurse stormed into the room they were in, and told Lauren, "Dr. Lewis, you either fire me now, or stop sending me into the witch's lair."

Lauren let out a heavy sigh, which sounded more like a frustrated groan.

After the nurse walked away, Bo said, "that sounds like Evony."

"It is Evony," Lauren replied. "In-home care isn't working well for her, so I admitted her into the special care unit here. And now...she's nesting, turning the whole place into a no-go zone for doctors and nurses."

"Sounds like so much fun," Tamsin commented.

Lauren just sighed and shook her head. "If you would excuse me," she murmured and left the room without telling the others whether they should follow her or leave. So, they followed her.

* * *

The special care patient room was filled with Evony's personal belongings. She had successfully turned the place into one of her fashion dens. Although, she was wearing nothing but plain color robes with no makeup at all.

"Oh, look who's here," Evony, who was sitting in the patient bed, exclaimed when she saw Bo and Tamsin walk in. She gave them a big, fake smile, before she moved her eyes to Dagny.

"Well, hello there," she spoke to Dagny in a voice so soft that it creeped Bo and Tamsin out. "Hi, I don't think we've met, but let me give you a little advice. When you have someone going down on you, just make sure that they don't secretly have a human-Fae altering serum sac in their mouth."

Lauren cleared her throat uncomfortably and went to check on the machines. Both Bo and Tamsin ignored what Evony had just said. Dagny was quite confused but she decided that she'd ask about it later.

"Evony, you are..." Bo stuttered as she looked at the woman in the patient bed. Her skin was beyond pale. It looked as if something had drained the life out of her already. She looked more shriveled than the last time Bo had seen her, like she was slowly losing her flesh underneath her skin. Without any makeup on her, the droopy sacks under her eyes seemed huge. She didn't look like an old lady yet, but she felt like one.

"Yes, I am still alive, and no, it won't be for long," Evony snorted loudly. "Please, Bo, just be honest with me, just be you for Gods' sake. I literally don't have much time for any of the bullshit."

Bo pulled her lips into a tight smile. "Well, you look better than I thought," she told Evony, and Evony snorted again.

"Whatever," the woman waved her hand at Bo, "just leave me alone. Go save the world, or whatever it is that makes you happy."

Bo nodded slightly. She walked to the bedside, and hesitantly squeezed Evony's hand. She wanted to give Evony some kind words, but the long feud between them made it extremely hard for her to be nice to her, even though she was dying.

Dagny gave Evony a polite smile, before she asked Tamsin in a low voice, "are you and Bo going back to the library? Can I go with you?"

"You heard the doc," Tamsin replied firmly. "Lots of rest and plenty of fluids."

Dagny pouted. "Fine, I'll do my own research on hall gate online then."

"You are doing research on hell gate?" Evony asked. "They teach that in kindergarten now?"

"I am in highschool," Dagny corrected her.

Evony rolled her eyes. "Like there's much difference," she drawled. "Just get outta my sight."

"Wait," Bo turned to Evony with a frown. "You've heard of hell gate?"

"Oh of course I have," Evony shrugged. "I dated that moron Eros, remember?"

After exchanging a quick look with Tamsin, Bo said to Evony, "if...if you don't mind, can you tell me everything you know about the hell gate?"

"That depends, Succu-bitch," Evony drawled, "can you do me a favor?"

"Well, if you want a glass of water, sure, but if you want someone dead, then nope unless it's my father," Bo told her.

Evony rolled her eyes. "I just need someone to do my nails."

"Evony," Lauren interrupted her. "I don't think putting nail polish on is a good idea."

"Oh shut up, Lauren. I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want. What if I close my eyes today and then never wake up after that?"

Lauren choked and clenched her lips.

"I got this, Lauren," Bo told the doctor softly. Lauren gave in, and left the room after a long, deep sigh.

"So...nails, huh?" Bo squeezed those words through her teeth while sitting down beside Evony's bed. "I think I can handle that. Shall we start now?"

"Not so fast," Evony said as she pointed at the snuffling Dagny. "Get her outta here. I don't want to catch any of her kid germs."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. She gave Bo a nod and took Dagny away, leaving the Succubus alone with Evony.

Per Evony's instruction, Bo got a set of nail polish out from the drawers. She laid them in front of Evony, and let the woman pick the color she would want.

Evony ordered Bo to put two of the colors on two of her nails to see which one would look better for her. As Bo did that with eyerolls and grunts, she murmured, "oh, the hell gate, where do I start?"

"Why don't you start with when you first heard of it, and what the hell is hell gate?" Bo suggested.

"Well, I first heard of it when Eros and I were dating. I think once he let that name slip out and I got curious. He wouldn't tell me at first, but there was this time that we had way too much wine. Like, way, way too much, and he started to spit things out non-stop. I mean, I actually had to shut him up before I ripped his clothes off and-"

"Yeah, why don't you keep all those steaming details to yourself, and talk about hell gate only?" Bo cut her off.

"Fine," Evony rolled her eyes. "He told me that hell gate is like an abandoned portal that connects the place underneath Tartarus and Tartarus."

"There's a place underneath Tartarus? I thought Tartarus was _the_ bottom of all hells," Bo said, frowning.

"Oh, there is. There is a whole hellhole below the hellhole," Evony told her. "Anyway, he told me that Zeus asked Dionysus to make a special wine so that whoever drinks it would forget everything about hell gate."

"So she wanted people to forget about hell gate? Why?"

"I guess the hell gate scared the shit out of them. They didn't want anyone to open it ever. They didn't even want people to know about it. You know, hotheads like you, who might get curious and try?"

"Why are they so scared? What's inside that gate? Monsters? Dead souls?"

Evony shook her head. She stared at her painted nails, before she said, "the whole history of the Ancients has this repeating theme. The father ate his children because he was afraid of losing power. The children grew up, castrated the old man and took the throne."

"Okay...?" Bo frowned at Evony, not sure where the elder woman was going at.

"Do you know how Zeus took the throne?"

"She cut her father open, rescued all her siblings and then had a war with him and his minions. She eventually banished all of them to Tartarus."

"No, not to Tartarus," Evony corrected her. "To the place beneath Tartarus."

Bo furrowed her eyebrows. "You mean...behind the hell gate?"

Evony nodded. "Imagine thousands of furious, bitter Titans who want nothing but revenge and death of Zeus and her siblings. Imagine how pissed they get inside the prison as time goes by. That's why hell gate scare the shit out of Zeus. Bitch was really afraid that someone might let those fuckers out."

Bo nodded. She pondered for a long time, before she murmured, "then...it doesn't make any sense that my father wants to open it, does it? I mean, he was on Zeus' side when they defeated their father. He was one of the Ancients who locked them up there. They probably hated him as much as they hated Zeus. Why would he ever want them out?"

"Your father want them out?" Evony exclaimed. "I don't think so, Bo. He would be one of the last persons who wanted his father, Cronus, and his minions out."

"Then why would he want to open the hell gate?" Bo murmured in a low voice.

"What?" Evony asked her loudly. "You need to speak up, okay? I have this fucking ringing sound in my ear for days now and I can't hear you."

"Nothing, nothing," Bo told her. "I was just wondering where the hell gate is."

"How the hell do I know?" Evony drawled. "It's somewhere in the damn Tartarus, I assume. I thought about looking for it but I didn't like that place. It's wet and there's cobwebs and rats everywhere!"

"You seemed to be...quite interested in hell gate," Bo commented.

"Of course I was," Evony said. "I was so young back then, and I had a new lover and a whole new life ahead of me. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of ancient fuckers run around ruining things for me. I figured that if the hell gate really existed, I needed to know everything about it. But then, the asshole dumped me for that stupid chick, and I thought hell why would I care?"

"So...that's all you know about hell gate?" Bo asked.

Evony shrugged. "Well, soon the Ancients disappeared, and then there were wars after wars, depression after depression. Who would care about some gate in Tartarus?"

"Do you know anyone who might still know anything about it?" Bo asked. "I mean, anything that you don't know already?"

"Oh, I don't know, Bo. Anyone who possibly knows about it are either dead or gone," Evony said. "If your grandfather was still alive, he might...I don't think there's anyone left, Bo. It's just me."

Bo nodded. She was about to say something, but her beeping phone interrupted her. She checked the message that Dyson had sent her, before she told Evony, "I have to go. Got a case."

"Sure, and don't come back any time soon. Also, tell your ex-wife to order me some new robes. The ones I have are like rags!"

"Sure, of course," Bo told her. Before she left, she stood by the doorway and gave Evony an awkward nod. The elder woman snorted again, hiding the bitterness in her eyes.

* * *

Storming into the morgue inside the police station, Bo saw Dyson and Mark standing beside an autopsy table. There was a dead body on it.

"What's the emergency?" She asked as she rushed over to the table.

"This," Mark told her as he pointed at the body.

"Okay, we got a dead body and…?" Bo murmured while raising her eyebrows at the dead body. A quick examination told her that there was no visible wounds other than some small tears on the dead man's hands. The only thing that seemed to be out of the ordinary, is that the man had his eyes wide open. The look on his face seemed to be quite peaceful, though.

"What's his story?" She asked Dyson.

"We don't know yet, but he's not the only one with a story, I'm afraid," Dyson said as he walked to the refrigeration unit.

He opened four drawers, in each there was a dead body, male, female, young, old. All of them had their eyes wide open.

"Hades?" Bo asked in a deep frown, because that seemed to be the only conclusion she could draw from multiple deaths lately.

"I don't smell him on any of the bodies or at any of the scenes," Dyson said honestly. "It doesn't fit his signature either. No laceration on the throat, no blood."

"However, you two think that these deaths are related somehow?" Bo asked as she checked the bodies again.

"Otherwise how would you explain all these deaths? I mean, they all had their eyes wide open. That should be a connection, right?" Mark suggested.

"I don't know..." Bo said hesitantly. "I mean, we have a lot of random deaths in town everyday. It's just hard to say that these five deaths are related while others aren't."

"True, but check this out," Dyson told her as he showed her the case files. "They were found in various locations. They have no known connections. Not in the same age, or gender group, etc etc. However, what caught our attention is that...the five deaths occurred very recently for one, and the way they died for two."

"How did they die?"

"Good question. The medical examiner couldn't figure it out herself either," Mark replied. "There is just...no cause of death."

Bo frowned at the bodies, and then she turned to Dyson. She saw the look in Dyson's eyes, which told her that the Wolf had something on his mind but he wasn't ready to tell her. "What is it, Dyson?" She asked.

"It's just..." Dyson muttered. "Well, before I tell you this, I want you to know that I am not accusing you of having done anything, or even remotely suggesting that, okay?"

Bo nodded, and her frown got deeper.

"The look on these people's face...it reminds me a lot of your previous victims, you know, those people you...killed before we found you," Dyson said honestly. "I texted you because I wanted your opinion, not as a private investigator or the daughter of Hades, but as a Succubus. Do you think it's possible that this has nothing to do with your father but another sex demon in town?"

"Huh," Bo hummed. "Another sex demon in town? I don't think I've noticed any other sex demons in town lately. I mean, if there is any, shouldn't you be the first one to know? You are the one who's keeping the ledger, Dyson."

"I am not aware of a second sex demon in town, but not everyone comes into the Dal and signs the ledger voluntarily," Dyson said. "Especially if this person leaves a body trail behind."

"Have you checked with cops in other cities? Does any place have similar deaths?"

"I am still trying to find out if there is any," Mark said. "Are you really sure that there is no other sex demons in town?"

Bo shook her head. "I mean, there was one last year, but she moved to a bigger city. Then...I think two months ago I saw another in a nightclub, but he was just passing through and he never stayed."

"And you are sure that you've seen no one else?"

Bo shrugged. "I mean...I don't go through every single nightclub every night so I really can't say for sure, but I'll certainly let you know if notice any, okay?"

She quickly glanced at the bodies again, before she told them, "gotta go. Need to research on hell gate."

* * *

Bo went to the gym looking for Tamsin. When she arrived, the Valkyrie raised her head from a pile of old parchment papers and gave her a slight nod.

"I didn't know you and Evony would have a three-hour conversation," Tamsin commented.

"We didn't," Bo replied while getting herself something to drink. "I went to the precinct because they have this weird multiple death case."

Tamsin raised her eyebrows. "Weird as in Hades did it?"

"I don't know," Bo shrugged. "It didn't look like him but...anyway, they think it might be another sex demon."

"There is another sex demon in town? Wow it must be a miracle that everybody is still alive then," Tamsin teased, and earned a soft punch on her shoulder.

"I don't think I've seen another sex demon in town recently," Bo said. "Have you?"

Tamsin snorted. She wanted to make a joke about Bo being a sex demon, but somehow any joke that popped into her mind right now sounded flirty. She shook her head and replied, "no, I haven't."

Putting down her parchment papers, she asked, "did Evony tell you anything useful at all?"

"Well, yes, at least she told me what hell gate is," Bo answered. "She said that it was like a portal between Tartarus and somewhere underneath Tartarus, where Hades' father and his minions were locked up tight."

"Cronus and his Titan army?" Tamsin frowned. "I thought the books said that they were all imprisoned in Tartarus. So...they are in somewhere below Tartarus? And Hades wants to open the hell gate and free them? That doesn't make any sense. I thought he was among those who defeated Cronus and locked him up."

"Yeah, I know, but...I mean, we don't know for sure that he wants to open the gate. Maybe...he wants to close it like...forever close it so his father won't come out one day and kick his ass?"

"The riddle specifically said open," Tamsin reminded her.

"I know, but…it's a riddle. Riddles are confusing sometimes," Bo said. "Anyway, we now know what hell gate is, I mean, sort of. I guess it's probably safe to say that we want that thing stay closed forever. If, for some fucked up reasons, my father wants to open it, we have to stop him."

"Did Evony tell you where this hell gate is?"

Bo shook her head. "She said it was probably somewhere in Tartarus."

"Then we'll find it and make sure it's locked," Tamsin told her firmly.

Bo nodded and let out a deep sigh. "But, we need to find Zagreus first," she murmured. "We might still be able to convince him to side with us before Hades turns him into his loyal lieutenant."

"I'd hope for the best but prepare for the worst if I were you," Tamsin told her sincerely, and Bo nodded again with a burdened heart.

Bo thought she'd do some reading here while discussing what to do next with Tamsin. She barely finished the first page of the book in her hand when dagny came out from her room.

The young girl walked into the kitchen for some water while snuffling and sneezing. She was having a hard time drinking because whenever she swallowed she couldn't breathe through her nose.

She watched Bo and Tamsin quietly for a few seconds, before she hesitantly asked Bo, "can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Sure," Bo nodded.

"In my room?" Dagny suggested.

A little surprised that Dagny wanted to talk to her in private, Bo raised her eyebrows at Tamsin. The Valkyrie rolled her eyes and impatiently waved her hand telling Bo to follow Dagny.

* * *

Bo dragged a chair to Dagny's bedside while giving the young girl a smile. Dagny, who now wrapped herself in blankets with an ice pack on her forehead, smiled back.

"So...what do you want to talk about, hmm?" Bo asked.

"I want you to teach me how to fight the power of Hades," Dagny said.

"Oh sweetheart," Bo pulled her lips into an awkward smile. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure if I'm the best person to teach you that. He controlled me several times, and each time, the bond got stronger and time of me being under his control got longer. The last time he controlled me, I almost killed everyone."

"But, you broke free and sent him back to Tartarus," Dagny reminded her. "I want to know how you did that, because...because if he controls me, I can break free too."

She hesitantly looked down at the handprint on her chest. "Or...do you think I'm even capable of doing that?"

"Dagny," Bo said softly as she held the girl's hand. "We share his blood, that's something we can never change, but I want you to know that he doesn't own us. You do have a choice."

"I just...I can barely control my own power. What if he hijacks my mind and turn me into a killing machine or something?" She murmured. After a long pause, she looked into Bo's eyes and asked, "how did you break free from his control?"

"I..." Bo trailed off as she tried to remember what had happened when she forced the dark force out of her mind. Things were quite blurry because she hadn't been herself. She remembered sucking Chi out of people, and then suddenly, all the memories with the gang came back to her vividly. Kenzi, Lauren, Dyson...and Tamsin.

A painful sting made her fingers shiver when she recalled that when she had remembered Tamsin during that time, it was their kiss in Brazenwood.

She wondered why it had been that particular moment. The scorching heat, the fear of death, and the buzz in her head when their lips touched. The joy and relief on Tamsin's lips. The way the Valkyrie cupped her face while they were kissing.

A stream of heat passed through her body, just like in Brazenwood. It gave her heart a dull, painful squeeze.

Suddenly, she started to wonder why that moment came to her back then. Why hadn't it been anything else? Why would that particular piece of memory pop out?

She had always thought that the kiss was purely the influence of the machine. She had never told anyone but Kenzi, and she had never talked about it with Tamsin either. They hadn't talked about a lot of things, in fact. They toed the line carefully and pretended that a lot of things hadn't ever happened.

She, herself, had chosen to ignore each and every one of them. It was the machine. It was the heat of the moment. It wasn't the way it seemed. It was something she misunderstood. It was Tamsin being drunk. It was the life and death situation. It was the power of Krampus.

She ignored the nervous flutter inside her. She ignored the heat burning on her skin. She ignored the shivering fingers, the quivering lips and the sound of the pounding heart.

She couldn't afford not to. There had been a thousand reasons for her to ignore them, to forget about them. And now suddenly, she started to wonder if all those reasons were valid at all. She started to wonder if that fear deep down inside her heart was ever real.

"...Bo?" Dagny called her name and pulled her out from her train of thoughts.

"Umm...yeah," Bo stuttered. "I...I broke free because for some reason the memories with the gang suddenly came to me."

"The memories with the gang?" Dagny frowned.

"Yeah, it was like all the things just popped into my mind, reminding me that how much I don't want to hurt them, and that how much I don't want to lose them. My consciousness kinda kicked in and I just broke free."

"It was that simple?"

"I guess the only thing that's been keeping me from joining him, from surrendering to that dark force inside me, is that I love all of you and I want to be with you guys," Bo explained. "This is where I belong. I never wanted to be the Dark Queen, even if that means I get to rule the entire world. I just want to be here, be a PI, be with everyone that I love."

"And I belong here too," Dagny announced.

"Don't worry, okay?" Bo told her softly. "If I can do it, you can too. Besides, I'm sure your mom will kick the sense into you if Hades ever gains control over you."

Dagny chuckled. "I just...I don't want to make her proud, you know," she said in a low voice.

"She's more proud of you than you think," Bo told her with a smile.

Dagny nodded quietly while turning the ring on her index finger.

"Why don't you get some rest while your mother and I discuss about what we are gonna do about this whole upcoming shitstorm?" Bo suggested as she stroked Dagny's hair.

She turned the light off for Dagny and closed the door behind her. Turning around, she met Tamsin's eyes.

Her heart thumped as she remembered the kiss they had shared the other day. Like many, many other things, they ended up not talking about it at all while pretending that they were nothing more than just friends.

She thought about bringing it up multiple times, but then at the same time, she asked herself if it was worth doing it. Should she talk about it, and make things more awkward? Should she confront Tamsin, talking about Tamsin's feelings for her and then risking driving the Valkyrie away again? Should she just ignore it, like she had done to everything else, and wait for things to be magically sorted out?

In the meantime, she wondered, what was that strong, heated flutter inside her? Why did it feel so warm yet it felt like it was about to kill her?

Her fear for all the uncertainties, for things that she couldn't name or was too blind to see, did it keep her safe, or did it toss her into the whirlwind and stop her from thinking straight?

* * *

 **A/N: There are a couple of guest reviews regarding Chapter 25 wondering if they were reading the wrong fic or who Zagreus is. No, it's not the wrong fic. Zagreus (in this fic) is Bo's half brother, and Hades' long lost son. Like Aife, Persephone sent him away when he was a baby to protect him from his father. And now Bo and Tamsin had found him (and lost him again). I started last chap in his POV because it seemed more interesting that way.**

 **Also, some people are wondering how Bo could suddenly warm up to Tamsin and such. Remember, this fic is set as 10 years after Tamsin's rising. Bo had gone through a lot of things in 10 years. She had broken up with Lauren over and over, and possibly had a few new (or old) lovers that didn't really work out for her either. I think it would really make her think about love, relationship and everything else.** **I think she'd seriously think about it. Also, a few chapters before, she and Kenzi had a long talk about what love is. I think after that talk, she'd really put some serious thinking into it. Right now, Bo has many failed relationships. She has hurt people before, and she has also been hurt. Unless she wants to hit the dead end repeatedly, she will have to rethink what love is to her, and how she should approach it more carefully.**

 **As her and Tamsin, at this point, I am not saying that she's suddenly in love with Tamsin. I do think that Tamsin is still in love with her, but her love for Bo has also changed into something deep and maybe less childish like what we saw in s5. For Bo, I think it's more like after losing Tamsin for 10 years, she realized how important Tamsin is to her, and she really missed her. She also probably finds that the strong connection between them are back, because she has lost it for 10 years. I think she'd have a whole new view about it.** **It's gonna be a slow burn, with some spontaneous sparks as well as the bond between them with respect, trust and honesty that has formed a long time ago. Like I said before, love isn't just chemistry, because that heat fades at some point. What makes it last, is how well two people can work through things together and how well they support each other. Some love burns fast and bright, others burn slow and deep. For me, I also think Valkubus is more of the latter, and that's what makes it beautiful. It's something that can last and it will grow as time goes by.**

 **Anyway, someone said that this seemed a bit OOC or AU, I agree, because people change after 10 years, and especially for those who have experienced love, lost and death. So yeah, I guess they are all at little OOC at this point.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Bo was awakened by a call from Dyson a little after midnight. He asked for help on a case that had happened in a convention center out of town.

A little surprised that Dyson, as a retired detective, would suddenly be working on case, Bo asked him what had happened while getting dressed. Dyson wouldn't get into any details, but she could hear that particular growl in his voice, something he would only do when a serious case happened.

Bo drove over to the convention center with Kenzi, since she insisted on going. To their surprise, Tamsin was there too, with Dagny. They had just pulled into the parking lot in front of the convention center when Bo and Kenzi arrived.

Equally surprised, Tamsin frowned at Bo and Kenzi. "Why are you two here?"

"Dyson called me, saying that there is a case," Bo explained. She looked around, and saw a sign beside the front entrance saying that some sort of Fae-human peace convention was being held here, and they were having a all-night-long banquet/masquerade party tonight. Another sign beside it said that the convention center is temporarily closed due to toxic mold.

"Well, ain't this weird? They are still having the party when there's toxic mold?" Kenzi commented while frowning at the building. She could see the bright lights inside the ball rooms. She could also hear the music playing.

"You know what's weirder? I can't hear anyone in there," Tamsin murmured. She couldn't hear any sound made by anyone alive in there. No laughters. No loud cheering. No singing. Nothing. There was something in the air, something that she was too familiar with. It was the smell of death. It was all over the place.

Dyson appeared behind the glass door and gestured them to come in. He then opened the door and held it for them.

Behind the entrance, there was the convention reception desk. Two receptionists had their heads buried into the sign up sheets, as if they were sleeping.

Dyson told the four of them to follow him in a low whisper. He stopped in front of the desk, slightly pressed the side of his glove wearing hand on one of their faces and turned it sideways. Dagny let out a cry of horror when she realized that the receptionist was very dead, with her eyes either burnt or melted by something.

"Hey, maybe you should take her home," Bo told Tamsin in a low, serious voice while giving Dagny an arm rub.

Tamsin shook her head. "She's gonna know what death looks like sooner or later. Sooner is better, trust me," she told Bo.

Bo nodded, before she checked the other receptionist herself. He had similar wound, and was dead too.

"What happened?" Bo asked Dyson while the others wandered around looking for clues. They ended up finding nothing but three more bodies in the elevator. The elevator door got stuck because one of the bodies lay in between, and it kept closing and reopening. They all died a horrible death, so horrible that both Kenzi and Dagny had to turn away in order not to throw up.

"Seriously, what happened?" Tamsin asked Dyson.

Dyson shook his head. "No idea," he said. "What we do know so far is that, there aren't the only dead bodies here."

Bo could hear that subtle tremor in his voice, and that made her frown. "How many bodies are we talking about?"

Dyson shook his head again slightly. "Two hundred maybe?" He murmured. "When we arrived, everyone inside this place was already dead."

Instead of elaborating more, he led the way into the main hall. The four women gasped when they saw a huge room full of dead bodies in masquerade outfit.

The music was still on. Delicious food was on the tables, and some of them were still warm. Though, almost everything inside the room was covered in blood or body tissue.

Dead bodies scattered inside the room. Some of them looked peaceful, while others had suffered what seemed to be violent death.

"What happened here?" Bo murmured as she looked at those broken masks on the floor. Some of them had been torn in half, just like some of the bodies. "Don't tell me it's my father again."

"I don't smell him, but I do smell that _sex demon_ we talked about," Dyson told her in a low voice.

It was then that Bo had noticed that some of the dead bodies had their eyes wide open, just like those she had seen in the morgue the other day.

"Shouldn't the cops be all over this place by now?" Tamsin commented after having seen no yellow crime scene tape, any crime scene people or cars outside with sirens on.

"It's...a sensitive matter, since it's one of the few Fae-human conventions. We are keeping this as low key as possible. So far as everyone else's concern, this place has been shut down temporarily for toxic mold inspection."

"Must be hella toxic mold then," Tamsin commented as she stared at one dead body that seemed to have been completely charred.

"You think a sex demon did this?" Bo asked, swallowing hard for the horrific scene in front of her.

"I don't know, but I do smell that person here," Dyson replied honestly. "Mark was in the neighborhood interviewing some witness for some other cases, and he noticed the smell of blood as well as the smell of the sex demon. He traced it back here. We need as many hands as we can get without alerting the public, so that was why I called you guys..."

"Or, you could have called all your drunk friends from bar fights and stuff so I could actually get some sleep," Tamsin snorted while putting on a pair of disposable gloves that Dyson handed to her.

As the rest of the team was putting their gloves on, Lauren walked out from one of the side rooms with her medical box. She seemed tired, and pale.

"Good, you guys are here," she greeted the four of them, with a bit of relief in her voice. "Take these," she ordered as she opened her box and handed everyone a kit which contained a small box of forensic cotton swabs, a spray bottle, a small biohazard disposal bag and a set of small markers with the color of red and blue.

"What are these for?" Bo frowned at the kit. "You know none of us know a thing about forensics, right?"

"I know," Lauren said simply. "Right now I am just hoping that you guys could help me marking these bodies as either Fae or human."

"And how are we gonna know who is...was Fae and who was human?" Kenzi asked.

"I'll show you," Lauren replied. She got down on one knee in front of a dead body that was leaning against the wall. She carefully removed the mask that had covered the person's entire face, and pinched his jaw to open his mouth a little. After swabbing the inside of his mouth for a few times, she sprayed carefully into the tip of the swab.

About thirty seconds later, the swab turned red. She put the cap of the swab back and placed it right next to the body, together with a red marker.

"It's very simple," she told them as she went to process another body. She deliberately slowed down so everyone could follow her. "Swab," she swabbed the inside of the dead person's mouth. "Spray," she sprayed the swab. "And wait. It might take as long as one minute before the result shows. If it takes longer than three, I would suggest dumping the swab and try again with a new one."

This time, the swab turned blue. She capped it and placed it beside the body with a blue marker. "If it turns blue, mark it blue. If it turns red, mark it red."

"So, which color is which?" Tamsin asked.

"Red is for Fae. Blue is for humans," Lauren explained simply. She turned around and pointed at outside the main hall. "We don't have anyone processing the west wing right now, so if you guys could…."

"West wing, gotcha," Bo nodded, before she headed down to the west wing with Tamsin, Dagny and Kenzi.

* * *

At first the four of them had split into two groups, thinking that it might help them processing the scene faster. However both Kenzi and Dagny were having a hard time handling so much violent deaths, Tamsin and Bo had to do all the work while the other two were trying to keep calm.

"You two are okay back there?" Tamsin asked Dagny while examining the bodies.

"I'm alright," Dagny said bravely, although she could barely look at the body in front of her. It apparently had its brain blown or fried.

"If you feel like you are gonna throw up, you can go outside and get some fresh air, Daggs," Bo suggested. "And you too, Kenzi."

"Oh I am doing just fine, looking at all these...fried faces and...and legs that are hangin' on the ceiling fan," Kenzi said after a few loud, dry coughs.

"Are you really sure that she should be here instead of at home?" Bo whispered to Tamsin as she put a blue marker beside the body she had just processed together with the swab. "She's only eleven. I don't think she's supposed to see shit like this."

"Better get her prepared now, cuz later I'm sure she's gonna see what Hades is gonna do, and that would be something exactly like this," Tamsin whispered back. "Enough for the rainbows and sunshine bullshit. She needs some reality before the big battle."

"Tamsin, this is a lot," Bo murmured.

"Well I didn't know we were gonna run into two hundred bodies," Tamsin hissed. "I thought Dyson needed a fresh eye on some normal case."

She paused and rolled her eyes for not seeing her swab change its color despite a three minute wait. She put it into the disposal bag and sealed it, before she tried again on the body beside her. When she noticed that Bo seemed to be looking at all the dead people again she poked her and urged, "hurry up, slow ass. I don't know about you, but I still want to finish this shit before breakfast."

Bo slapped Tamsin's hand away and cracked her own neck. She counted the bodies she had processed, and then she counted the bodies that Tamsin had processed. The Valkyrie was a little ahead of her, but in this room alone there were still another twenty bodies or so for them to examine, not to mention there were over ten rooms that hadn't been processed yet.

"I wish I knew what happened here, and more importantly, who did this," Bo murmured as the thought of so many deaths happened all of a sudden felt heavy on her heart. The more upset fact was that they hadn't found a single survivor so far.

"Some crazy asshole happened for sure," Tamsin said while waiting on the swab to turn its color. "The real question is, why?"

"Well, I doubt either of us could actually understand the motive of some crazyhead wanting to kill people," Bo said to her as she looked again to make sure that they'd have enough markers for the bodies in the room. Then, she paused as she stared at the markers they had laid down beside the bodies.

"Hey..." she said as she nudged Tamsin. "Look at the markers."

"Yeah, what about them?" Tamsin asked absentmindedly as she swabbed another body.

"The red ones-" Bo said as she pointed at all the bodies marked by a red marker. "They are all Fae."

"Umm...why don't you tell me something that I don't know already, Bo?" Tamsin drawled. "Of course the red ones are all Fae. The good doctor told us to mark the Fae with the red ones, remember?"

"No," Bo murmured as she stood up and walked closer to the bodies that they had already examined. "I mean, the red ones...all the dead Fae are-they are the peaceful looking ones, but the blue ones-"

She looked at all the human bodies. One of them had its head blown up. One of them had its body ripped open, and judging by the wound it seemed to be caused by huge, sharp claws. One of them was severely burnt, yet everything around her seemed fine. There were also a few bodies that were so heavily mutilated that she couldn't figure out how exactly they had died.

"The blue ones," Bo continued. "They all died a horrible death. Every single one of them."

Tamsin stopped swabbing and turned to Bo. Then, she looked at all the bodies carefully, before she murmured, "you are right. All the Fae seemed to have died peacefully, well with their eyes wide open of course."

"Yeah, just like the bodies I've seen in the morgue the other day," Bo said. "You know, the case thought to be done by another sex demon or something?"

Tamsin nodded as she exited the room with Bo. They confirmed their theory by looking at all the bodies that the others had marked. All the Faes died peacefully, while all the humans died a terrible death.

"Okay, let's say that it's some sex demon nutjob," Tamsin said. "Why would this person leave all the Faes like this and all the humans like that?"

"Maybe this person only feeds off Faes and hates humans a lot?" Bo took a guess while looking at all the human bodies. "And also, look at the human dead bodies, Tamsin. The way they all died…."

"Yeah, I know, burnt, brain blown out, ripped open or ripped apart," Tamsin concluded the four ways all humans died. "Four distinct signatures."

"Which means...four different killers? Five, if adding the sex demon?" Bo said.

"Did the Wolf smell that many killers?" Tamsin asked.

"I don't think he has a clear idea yet," Bo said. "There are too many people here. He can't identify if a smell belongs to one of the dead bodies or the possible killer."

"So, we are dealing with a little gang of killing machines here?" Tamsin frowned. She let out a sigh and murmured. "Is it just me, or the whole damn thing still has Hades written all over it?"

"I know," Bo replied. "He's out. He murdered several people. He killed Persephone. He lured my half brother to his side. And suddenly this shit happens…."

A feeling of horror suddenly came to her as an idea popped into her head. She unconsciously held Tamsin's hand and squeezed it slightly, before she said, "Tamsin, what if-do you think maybe this is done by...whoever that is behind the hell gate?"

Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if Hades has already opened the hell gate and he let them out?" Bo suggested. "I mean, when was the last time we've seen a massacre like this, hmmm? Who else could have possibly done something like this?"

Tamsin was about to give Bo her opinion, but Kenzi's loud scream of fear coming from the room she was in interrupted her.

"Shit!" Tamsin cursed and rushed back with Bo. The moment they entered the room, a strong gust pushed them back, almost tossing them into the walls.

Bo grabbed Kenzi and shielded her. She pulled her dagger out and looked inside.

There was no one inside but Dagny. She was fully transformed into her true form. With her pale skin, blood red eyes and black hair, she looked like someone else. Someone who was breathtakingly beautiful yet would scare the crap out of any living person.

She rose in the middle of the air, with her wings flapping rapidly behind her back creating a strong gust inside the room.

Among the dead bodies, Dagny looked like the angel of death. It was as if she was the one who had taken all those lives.

"W-what happened?" Bo whispered to Kenzi.

"How the hell do I know?" Kenzi grunted in fear. "One minute I was checking on my phone and the next she almost broke my nose."

Tamsin quickly glanced at Kenzi's nose. "Your nose is fine, short stack," she told her, "but for your own safety I think you should go, like right now."

"Yeah, good idea. Mama loves her so much but Mama gotta run. Please knock some sense into the girl's head," Kenzi told them before she ran for her dear life.

Tamsin nervously stared at Dagny, who now had a stream of scarlet energy swirling around her right hand. That stream quickly formed a long, scythe like weapon.

Dagny waved it, and both Tamsin and Bo ducked behind a desk. Though, they quickly realized that the young girl wasn't aiming at them.

She was aiming at one of the dead bodies by the door. The two of them were beyond surprised to see that even though Dagny's weapon had cut through the dead body, the body remained whole. There wasn't a single cut on it.

However, a stream of energy got dragged out from it. It had the color of a fainted red, and it followed the tip of her weapon as if it had its tail glued to it.

Dagny tilted her weapon, pointing it up. The energy stream danced in the air, leaving a long, swirling tail. It then flowed to Dagny's open left hand, and disappeared into her palm.

Her pale palm was now glowing with a bright red color, as if the energy she had just absorbed had lit up her flesh from the inside. The glow slowly moved up along her arm, and into her chest.

It disappeared, and Dagny took a long, deep breath. Tamsin and Bo could hear that excitement and satisfaction humming in her throat.

She did the same thing to a few more bodies, and each time she did that, she seemed to have become more satisfied.

"Is the little rugrat...feeding?" Tamsin whispered as she gaped at her own daughter. "She's feeding off the...whatever that red shit is from those dead people, isn't she?"

"I'm gonna say I have no idea, but yeah you might be right," Bo told her. "Keres walk among the death, and take their souls away. Maybe that's what it is. She's feeding off...their souls?"

The idea of people actually having souls, and now Dagny was feeding off them, was beyond Bo. She decided not to think about it anyway, since apparently right now they needed to deal with the fully transformed Dagny.

"W-what are we gonna do about her?" She asked. "Should we just...let her eat?"

"Or, we grab her and shake some sense into her head before she eats too much and loses control," Tamsin whispered.

Bo nodded. She tried to stand up, but being too nervous, she banged her knee into the side of the desk.

The sound caught Dagny's attention. She turned to Bo and Tamsin. Her eyes glowed in red, and a smirk appeared on her face. She brandished her weapon in the air fiercely, before she slashed it at Tamsin and Bo.

Tamsin pushed Bo away, and then Bo pulled her away from the crimson blade. As the blade repeatedly fell at them, they rolled, crawled and parried it with anything they could grab.

Bo ended up getting hit by Dagny's weapon in one of her shoulders, and she cried out in pain.

This time, it felt much worse than when they were down in Tartarus. It felt like the cut was pulling the soul out of her forcefully. The pain itself might be bearable, but that dark feeling it have given her squeezed her heart so hard that she could hardly breathe.

She tried to stand up, but her legs weren't listening to her. She could feel her muscles clenching uncontrollably. It eventually forced her to collapse while gasping.

She pressed her hand hard on her shoulder, digging her fingers into her own flesh thinking it might ease the pain but it just made everything worse. The heavy pain seemed contagious. It spreaded quickly to every corner of her body, making her shiver.

Tamsin caught Dagny's blade using a chair. She forced the young girl back, but it apparently enraged Dagny. The young girl sneered and raised her weapon high while staring at Tamsin coldly.

"Hey!" Tamsin yelled. "This is enough, Dagny!"

The name "Dagny" seemed to have made Dagny flinch a little. As the blade of her came down, Tamsin managed to roll away with Bo in her arms.

"Dagny, stop!" Tamsin told her firmly after having made sure that Bo was safe. "If you don't, I'll make you and you won't like it."

Dagny paused for a second or two. For a moment there, Tamsin thought Dagny's senses came back, but it was quickly gone again, and she watched the young girl punching a big hole in the wall with her scythe.

"Daggs," Bo called with a weak voice. "Hey, hey, calm down. Remember the conversation we had the other day? I've told you how you could come back to yourself again, should any force take over your mind. Now is really a good time to let me know if you've actually learned. You said you belonged here, remember? You belong here, just like me."

Dagny stopped. She seemed to be pondering Bo's words now. The madness and coldness in her eyes was replaced by confusion and fear. Her wings slowed down, and she eventually descended down to the floor.

"Good, now sheath your weapon and-"

Dagny's sneer interrupted her. Then, she raised her weapon at Bo again.

"Daggs, stop," Bo told her calmly. "You almost hurt Kenzi. You remember Kenzi, don't you? You don't want to hurt her. You don't want to hurt me. And believe me you don't want to hurt your mother either."

Dagny hesitated. Her right hand trembled a little, and her wings slowly folded. Tamsin took the chance and circled behind her. She hit the back of Dagny's head with the side of her hand and knocked the young girl out.

Dagny collapsed, and Tamsin caught her before she hit the floor. She laid the young girl down on the floor gently.

Dagny's weapon changed back to a puff of scarlet energy, and quickly disappeared. It took her a few minutes before she opened her eyes again. She still had her wings out, and she was in her true form, though from the confused, innocent look on her face, Tamsin and Bo knew that her was herself again.

Scared, Dagny propped herself up. Her abrupt movement caused her wings to flap hard, and it tossed her out and made her crash into the floor on her face.

"Ouch!" She groaned while trying to stand up. Then, she looked down at her own hand, where the red glow still shimmered. "Wow," she murmured. "I kind of...did that really happen?"

"You mean did you really try to kill Kenzi and Bo? Yep," Tamsin nodded. "And also, I think you might have fed off the dead bodies."

"Ewwww," Dagny grimaced, but since she remembered most of it, she knew it was nothing but some sort of energy she had drawn from the bodies. It somehow made it feel less gross.

After the initial shocked passed, she had nothing but fear, remorse and guilt. She ran to Bo's side, almost sobbing now. "Bo, I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean to," she explained as she checked the wound on Bo's shoulder. It looked like a red burn with some black in the center. "I...I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay. I'm...alright," Bo bit the words out as she forced a smile out on her face.

"You actually remembered what you were doing?" Tamsin asked as she frowned at Dagny.

"I...I actually do. I mean, I kind of," Dagny told her. "It felt like myself but at the same time, I felt like I was watching the whole thing instead of doing it myself. I mean, clearly I would never want to hurt Bo, or Kenzi, or any of you, but it was like...I suddenly stopped feeling anything for any of you for a while."

Tamsin nodded while checking Bo's wound herself. Then she told Dagny, "it's alright. It could just be your true nature temporarily taking over control."

"My true nature...is to kill people?" Dagny frowned hard in fear and disbelief.

Tamsin sighed. "No, that's not what I meant," she told the young girl as she held her shoulders firmly. "Your true nature as in your basic instinct as a Ker. I don't exactly know what a Ker does in battlefield, but I dare to guess that Keres are very much related to death. The massive body count here probably triggered your true nature, forcing you to reveal your true form."

Dagny nodded.

"It's-don't worry about it, okay? Every Fae probably has lost control over their power for at least once in their lifetime. It's...normal," Tamsin told her. "I think it's good that now you remember the things you did while you were all crazy and shit. It means that you are more in control of your power than you did before."

"You think so?" Dagny frowned.

Tamsin nodded. "Hey, look on the bright side," she teased. "At least you didn't kill anyone."

* * *

After processing the scene, the four of them went to Bo's place. Kenzi made Dagny to do some housework as a punishment of trying to kill her. Tamsin helped Bo into her room, since the brunette could barely walk by herself.

"Damn what is in her weapon?!" Bo exclaimed after sat down on her bed. She leaned against a bedpost and gasped. "It hurts like hell and it...it just feel like the worst nightmare of my worst nightmare."

She lowered her head and checked her wound again. The red tear looked as fresh as it had been an hour ago. The black in the center seemed to have even grown a bit. "And I thought I was supposed to heal fast," she complained.

"Well, if you ever need help with that, all you have to do is ask," Tamsin teased. The words fell out from her mouth faster than she could take them back. She immediately cleared her throat and gave Bo an awkward smile, before she turned to the dresser like she had suddenly become interested in Bo's low quality jewelries.

Bo cleared her throat too, feeling the heat burn on her cheeks now. Suddenly her wound was the last thing that concerned her, and all she could hear was the loud, nervous flutter inside her.

Before the air got too dense for them to breathe in, Tamsin sighed and rolled her eyes. "For fuck's sake, let's just get you healed so we can...we can figure out what to do next. We have a world to save, remember?"

Bo swallowed hard, feeling herself gagging. "I..." she stuttered. "It might not-I mean, Tamsin, we umm…."

"Don't worry," Tamsin told her with a smirk. "I would not call you my girlfriend this time."

Bo's heart thumped when she somehow tasted a hint of bitterness in that joke. She licked her dry lips and lowered her eyes, before Tamsin pinched her chin softly and raised her head.

She met Tamsin's light eyes. She saw a million things in things she saw now, they took her breath away. She wondered how she could have not seen them before. She wondered if she had actually spent all the time and chances she had running away from them. She had no idea why they made her feel so scared, so nervous, yet full of anticipation.

Their lips met hesitantly and softly. Once again, she tasted Tamsin's Chi. Suddenly time had reversed and she was back to ten years ago again, when everything was alright, when nothing was shattered, broken or destroyed.

Tamsin's Chi almost gagged her, and she pulled back. She checked her wound. For a second or two, it was completely gone, but then quickly, her flesh tore open on itself again.

"Ow!" Bo cried out in a low voice, clenching her teeth. "It's like Zeus' lightning strike all over again!"

Tamsin sighed. She brushed her fingertip along the skin around the wound, before she suggested, "maybe you should go see Lauren and see if she has some...cure for this?"

"With two hundred bodies and a whiny Evony? I think she's gonna be super busy," Bo murmured. "Besides, I don't think she'd have anything to cure a wound that's caused by the power of an Ancient or a Primodian."

Tamsin nodded quietly while staring at Bo's wound. The moment of silence tasted so awkwardly on her lips. Bo's heat was still lingering on her lip. It made her lips quiver. "Well, then..." she murmured after squeezing the edge of the bed frame for a few times. She thought she'd give Bo an advice on how she should heal herself, yet the most intriguing and the first advice that popped into her mind was the least thing they should do right now.

"Well..." Bo hummed as she watched Tamsin's finger slowly moving around her wound. "I guess it's probably time for me to call one of my regulars then."

Tamsin secretly let out a long, deep breath of relief and nodded. "Yeah, I think you should totally do that. Or...I mean, maybe you should just call all of them because-" she blurted. "Remember last time you got hit by Zeus' lightning? We ended up-"

She stopped herself before she spat out all the steamy things they had done in the shower that day to heal Bo properly. _Like shit isn't awkward enough._ She growled at herself in frustration.

Bo opened her mouth, desperately trying to say something, but suddenly she had lost the ability to talk. She knew she would be lying if she told herself, or anyone, that those memories didn't give her a crazy rush of arousal. She wanted to do those things again. She wanted to enjoy that no strings attached, no boundaries, no limits sex again. She wanted to do those things with someone who could keep up with her in bed again. She wanted it more than anything in the world.

However, she knew too damn well that following her true nature and her raw desires would leave Tamsin in pain and herself in regret and void again.

"Yeah," Bo eventually squeezed that word through her dry throat. "It's a umm...it's a good idea, Tamsin. I'll...call all of them like right now."

Tamsin nodded and practically jumped out from Bo's bed. She unconsciously hid her hand behind her back since her fingers were still burning by Bo's heat. "I'm gonna go see what those guys have found out about the massacre, you know, by those guys I mean the Wolf and the doc."

"I'll come over too when I...when I'm done," Bo told her while trying very hard not to bite her tongue.

Tamsin nodded again as she headed to the door. She closed the door for Bo, after she gave the Succubus a tight smile. Bo's smile for her was equally tight and awkward.

Tamsin didn't leave right away. She pressed her back on the door, threw her head back and let out a deep sigh.

On the other side of the door, Bo didn't call her regulars right away either. She went into a trance with her phone in her hand.

In silence, they both wondered if it was worth the pain, the tears and the broken hearts to do the very single thing that they knew they should never do.

* * *

 **A/N: someone asked if there was really another Succubus in town. Well, you'll have to wait and see...**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Tamsin went back to the convention center, where Dyson and Lauren had set up a temporary autopsy place in one of the meeting rooms.

While the others were still processing the scene, Lauren started examining the bodies that they had already labelled.

Dead bodies filled the floor of the room. The dead humans were grouped into four rows, those who had been charred, those who had their brains fried, those who had been ripped open and those who had their limbs ripped off. All the dead Faes were placed on the other side of the room.

In the middle, there were three autopsy tables, where Lauren and two other medical examiner who were from the police department were working on the dead bodies.

Dyson, who was standing right next to Lauren and staring at the body on the table closely, gave Tamsin a nod when she walked in.

He stepped aside and removed his mask, before he asked her in a low voice, "how's Dagny? Is she alright?"

"Never been better," Tamsin replied with a shrug. As she watched Lauren open a body's chest with a bone saw, she asked, "so, what do we know so far? Smell anything unusual yet?"

Dyson shook his head. "Too many people, too much blood," he told her while unconsciously sniffing again. Among the million scent he caught in the air, he couldn't tell which one he should be paying extra attention to. "I definitely don't smell Hades, that I can tell ya."

Tamsin nodded quietly. After giving a quick glance at all the human bodies, she murmured, "I guess we got a five-killer gang, huh?"

"Four," Dyson corrected her.

Tamsin raised her eyebrows at Dyson. "There were four distinct killing signatures among the human victims," she reminded him. "Burnt, brain fried, ripped open and ripped apart. Plus, don't we also have a mysterious sex demon who killed all the Faes?"

"True," Dyson acknowledged before he led her to the last two rows of got down on one knee and leaned over a body that had been ripped open. "Check this out," he told Tamsin as he pointed at two rows of messy marks left on the victim's right shoulder.

Tamsin had to put on a pair of gloves to remove the victim's clothes before she could have a closer look at the marks. "Bite marks?" She asked in a frown.

"Exactly," Dyson nodded while moving towards a body that had its legs torn off. "Now look at this one."

Tamsin carefully examined the body, and it didn't take her long to find some bite marks on the side of the victim's waist. She compared the two sets of bite marks, before she murmured, "well, I'm no bite mark expert, but...they look identical, right?"

"They do," Dyson said with a nod. "Which leads me to believe that these people were killed by the same person. In fact, I do have a theory of what type of Fae this killer is."

"Then why don't you share that theory, Wolfie?" Tamsin demanded.

"These marks...the way these people were killed, I think it's most likely that this person is a shifter who could shift into a large predator animal."

"Large as in your size, or larger than you?" Tamsin asked. Her frown got deeper.

"Much larger than me," Dyson told her. "Could be something like a bear, I don't know."

"Are werebears even real?" Tamsin commented. "And since when do we have werebears in town?"

"We don't. I mean, not that I know of," Dyson replied. After silently stared at all the bodies there, he said, "looks like we got quite a few new Faes in town. An amature too."

"What do you mean?"

"Shifters no longer hunt like this," Dyson explained. "Even if some do hunt humans, there wouldn't be so much hesitation."

"What do you mean by hesitation? I don't see any hesitation here," Tamsin said as she pointed at the bodies. "I saw ruthless killings, unnecessary, ruthless killings."

"I know, I'm not talking about the body count. I'm talking about the marks this killer left," Dyson told her. "This person left a lot of bite marks that on top of each other, like they weren't sure where exactly to bite. That's why I said it might be an amature. Someone that has barely hunted before. Someone that is still getting used to the beast inside them."

"Great, now we got an evolving crazy predator. What about those?" Tamsin asked as she threw her chin at the other two rows of bodies. "What type of Fae did it?"

"Well," Dyson said as he walked to the side of a body with a fried brain. "We believe that these people were killed by someone who could feed off people's thoughts and minds."

"And of course, this killer sucked them non-stop until their brains are fried," Tamsin said.

"One of the detectives in my team said she might have some clues on that one, so I left that to her," Dyson said. Then, he turned to the last row of bodies, where everyone was heavily burnt. "And for those-"

"-were killed by someone plays fire all the time?"

"The killer is definitely a pyro Fae, yes," Dyson said. "That might be our most viable clue right now, because pyro Faes are rare and they are required to register into a worldwide database the moment they are born. Mark is looking through that registry right now."

Tamsin nodded. She looked at all the dead Fae across the room, and asked, "and those are killed by our mysterious sex demon, right? Is there any surveillance footage or anything like that? Any witness?"

Dyson shook his head. "Not that we know of," he said, "but the tech team is looking into it."

Tamsin sighed. "So, we got a sex demon who has killed quite a few Faes not too long ago. And then, this sex demon teamed up with a mind eater, a fire player, and a grizzly. They are just roaming around together while leaving a massive body count behind. They do that because...they are a bunch of nutjobs who happened to have found each other, or because they somehow have some connections and now they are having a wild party in town?"

"Connection? What kind?"

"I don't know," Tamsin shrugged. "Say...Hades?"

"You think this has something to do with Hades? Why?" Dyson frowned at her.

"Well, A, he just got out, and B, he loves massacres," Tamsin said. "The timing is just...I mean, really, how often do we have a psychopath Ancient and a killer gang but they are totally unrelated?"

"I haven't found anything here that can connects him to this," Dyson told her honestly. "But, I mean, I guess it's always possible that…."

Before he could finish, Mark storemd in. He was panting hard while raising a stack of files in his hand. For a moment he tried to talk to them but was too overwhelmed by the dire need of oxygen.

Grabbing the edge of an autopsy table, he clenched his jaw while letting out a few growls. "I...I found something," he told them.

"You found one of the killers?"

Mark shook his head. "No, but I found...I found something interesting when I was going through the pyro Fae registry list."

"Well, what did you find?" Tamsin asked impatiently.

"One of the first four victims," Mark replied while breathing heavily through his nose.

"Huh?" Both Dyson and Tamsin frowned at him confused.

Mark slammed the files into Dyson's arms. "One of our first four victims, ya know, those thought to be killed by the new sex demon? One of them, that young woman, Libby. She was registered in that database."

Dyson quickly skimmed through a printout copy of the names on the registry. "So Libby Williams was a pyro Fae...wait that's...are you sure it's the same person? Maybe they just happen to have the same name?"

"Thought about that, so I dug deeper, and yeah this Libby is our Libby. We didn't know what types of Fae the four victims were because there was no need to. Anyway, I got my team out interviewing all these people on this list. Hopefully maybe we could find our suspect."

"It's a short list," Tamsin commented after having taken a glance at the list.

"Yeah, I know. It's a good thing right? Otherwise it'll take forever to run all the names on it," Mark replied.

"No, I mean...it's a short list as in there aren't many pyro Faes in town," Tamsin explained. "We now have one dead, and one running around killing people. Coincidence much?"

Mark shrugged. "Maybe the sex demon was looking for a pyro Fae to join the team and Libby was killed because she refused to join? Or maybe the sex demon went through Libby to find the teammate?"

"Huh, those are actually good theories," Dyson commented. "We definitely need to look into those."

"Sure," Mark nodded before he left the convention center tracking down some of the names on the list.

* * *

Tamsin spent the rest of the day helping Dyson carrying the bodies into the autopsy room and processing the crime scenes.

They had to move to another room because they ran out of floor space in the first one. Even though Tamsin had seen many deaths in her past lives, this particular scene still made her heart heavy.

In the late afternoon, Bo came over to help too. When she met Tamsin's concerned eyes, she gave Tamsin a firm nod and a smile. Though, Tamsin's concerned never went away after she noticed Bo's slightly knotted brows.

After a long day, they eventually decided to go home and get some rest. When they walked out from the building, Tamsin noticed that Bo looked a bit pale. She offered to drive her home, and Bo hesitantly agreed.

Bo almost immediately lolled in her seat once she got into the car. She threw her head back and closed her eyes while clenching her fingers around the edge of her seat cushion.

A groan that she had been holding back for too long had finally escaped from her mouth. The sharp pain that she had tried to ignore came back, biting her shoulder hard.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on, or are you just gonna die in five minutes without telling me about it?" Tamsin asked.

Bo rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna die, Tamsin. I'm fine."

"Yeah, when your face is that pale, you are not fine," Tamsin pointed out the obvious. She turned to Bo after she stopped at a red light. "What's the matter? You didn't have enough time to heal your wound or something?"

"It's healed, alright?" Bo told her as she carefully pulled the shoulder of her blouse to the side. She took a look at her shoulder. The skin felt like it was on fire. She could see a dense crimson spot growing under her skin. As it grew to the size of a ping pong ball, a tear appeared on her skin, like some force underneath was pulling it open.

"I swell I healed!" Bo exclaimed as she bit back a cry of pain. "I mean, I made sure that I was completely healed when I left the shack!"

"Then how do you explain that?" Tamsin pointed at the reappeared wound on Bo's shoulder.

"I don't know maybe this is a DoT or something," Bo grunted as she pressed her fingertip carefully against the edge of the wound. Just the mere touch made her tremble.

"Right, and I guess I can throw you a HoT and everything will be fixed," Tamsin snorted.

A moment of silence seized them, because Bo was too busy panting to say anything. She bit her lips hard not to cry out in pain, but she knew it was just a matter of time.

Tamsin let out a deep sigh and gently squeezed Bo's cold, sweaty hand while hitting the gas pedal hard.

They got back to the shack as fast as they could. Kenzi and Dagny left them a note saying that they were out looking for Zeus' lightning.

Tamsin helped Bo getting into her room. She let the brunette sit in her bed and watched Bo pressed her hand against her wound hard.

"Alright, I hate to say this but let's just take care of it, okay?" Tamsin suggested impatiently, worrying that Bo's wound might grow too large and cause some permanent damage.

Bo took a deep breath, feeling a nervous flutter in her stomach now. "By taking care of it, you mean…?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Did you hit your head on something hard while I was gone? How else do you think I should take care of a wounded Succubus, hmmm?"

Bo swallowed hard. "I...don't think that's a good idea, Tamsin," she said as she shook her head.

"I didn't say that it's a good idea, Bo, but I'm pretty sure that it's the best solution. What are you just gonna sit here and watch it grow?"

"I think it's getting better, really," Bo said as she took a look at her shoulder. The tear had grown wider and deeper. Her flesh inside had turned into a darker color. The pain was so intense that she could hardly breathe.

Panicking, she quickly added, "besides, I drained all five of my regulars before I left for the convention center. I don't think you can heal me, Tamsin."

Tamsin raised her eyebrows as she let out a scoff. "Oh you did not just say that, Bo," she hissed.

"W-wait, I didn't mean…I didn't mean that," Bo stuttered, almost biting her tongue. She had completely forgotten how competitive and bossy Tamsin was, especially when she was in bed, until now. "I mean, it's...it's just not a good idea."

Tamsin cut her off by taking off her own shirt. She grabbed Bo's waist, laid her down in the bed and straddled her. "We'll see about that."

"Umm...Tamsin..." Bo muttered as she hesitantly placed her hands on the Valkyrie's waist. The heat on her skin seemed to have taken all her strength away.

She raised her head and looked at Tamsin in silence. When she met those light eyes, suddenly, her pain was gone.

Tamsin looked at her like she was the only meaningful thing in her life that was about to disappear. The finding slammed on Bo's chest like a hammer, wiping her mind blank.

Tamsin tucked her hands into Bo's blouse and lifted it over Bo's head. She tossed it aside before she hesitantly lowered her head and cupped Bo's face.

After a moment of silent gaze, their lips met. They kissed, kissed and kissed while both forgetting that this was meant to heal Bo.

Between the kisses, Bo gasped while raising a question with her mind that was no longer lucid. "What if...what if you really can't heal me?"

Tamsin breathed into her lips. "Then we'll do it again, and again, and again...until you are healed…."

Her words were muffled in her soft yet heated kisses. They fell on Bo's skin like raindrops of flames.

Bo closed her eyes and moaned, giving in to her desires, her hunger and that strong feeling that was pounding in her chest.

In the waves of pleasure and pain, she moaned, trembled, throbbed and screamed. In all that, that last piece of her clear mind wondered if she had finally gotten what she had longed for and if finally she was not alone.

Tracing her fingertip along Bo's index finger unconsciously, Tamsin cleared her throat quietly. With her other hand she pulled the blanket over her chest.

She cleared her throat again as the silence devoured her. She moved to the side of the bed a little, leaving a more than reasonable space between her and Bo.

But, Bo was all over the place. Her smell, her voice, her breath, her touch. A chaotic yet beautiful mess that she could never run away from.

"How's umm..." Tamsin eventually pushed those words out as she quickly glanced at Bo's shoulder.

"I feel alright, but I guess we'll see," Bo answered her honestly.

Tamsin nodded and muttered a "good", though she had no idea if Bo had heard her. They went quiet again while having one of their hands under the blanket. They weren't holding each other's hand too tight, because that would seem awkward, but some of their fingers tangled together comfortably in a loose grip.

Bo rolled to her side. "We had a funeral for you, you know," she blurted while wondering why she'd suddenly bring that up.

"You did?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows. "How come nobody has told me?"

"Probably because...you are back and it no longer matters?" Bo suggested. After a brief pause, she continued in a lower voice, "it was a small ceremony, just the few of us. We buried an empty casket. We came to visit your grave every year with flowers until-"

"Until I came back?"

Bo shook her head. With guilt, she admitted, "no, until no one else but me would go visit. I mean, Kenzi stayed in Spain raising Dagny. Dyson was too busy with the bar, his son and some old fling of his or something and Lauren was just...well, anyway, I stopped visiting because I didn't want to stand there staring at a piece of tombstone with nothing but your name and the date you died. I mean, the date you rose. We don't even know your last name. We don't even know your birth date. I don't even-I knew so little about you, Tamsin. Sometimes it just felt like...you never existed in my life at all."

"Bo, I'm back, and I'm right here," Tamsin reminded her as she rubbed her thumb against the back of Bo's hand.

"I know," Bo said. "After you rose, I told myself that you didn't die, you know. I told myself that you rose, that it was a perfect ending for a Valkyrie, that you've gone to a better place. I...I read that in Valkyrie heaven, there was nothing but endless fun like booze and eight pack hotties, all that kinda stuff…."

"I'm pretty sure that's Valhalla, or maybe Succubus heaven," Tamsin corrected her with a soft chuckle.

"Is it?" Bo asked after letting out an embarrassed chuckle. She trailed off, pondering for a long time, before she continued, "I just...sometimes I missed you."

It was a confession that was long overdue. It was the deepest secret of hers. It took her so long to say it, and then immediately she wondered how she could possible hold it back for this many years.

"You did?" Tamsin barely managed to say it.

"I just...you know, I wished that you didn't leave. I could have saved you, but that didn't happen because you didn't want to stay, and…."

She took a deep breath and then she let it out slowly. "Sometimes in my dreams, I stood there and looked at your casket. It wasn't empty anymore. You were in there like you were just sleeping. You and your wings...but you never woke up, like you never knew that I was there."

"Those were dreams, Bo," Tamsin reminded her.

Bo blushed a little as she let out a soft chuckle. "I know, but...you know, right before you came back, I had the same dream again, but that time, you woke up. So, I guess it might have meant something after all, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was something that Nyx's kid put in your mind as a reminder of me coming back."

Bo moved closer to Tamsin's side. "I know. It was just hard sometimes, after you left."

Yes, it had been hard sometimes, for her at least. There had been moments that she had never told anyone, not even Kenzi. There had been moments that had kept reminding her that Tamsin was no longer there with her.

It had felt heavier than just losing a friend. It had been less bitter but more painful than losing a lover. Part of her had been glad that Tamsin had gone to a better place, but the rest of her had never gotten enough courage to accept it. The soreness inside her, it had never left. It was just there, like a thorn buried her soft flesh, reminding her that she had lost a part of her life, a part of her memories, a part of herself. It had always been there, reminding her that nothing would be the same ever again.

She no longer had a listener when she had gotten a secret that she couldn't tell anyone else. She no longer had anyone there to support her when she tried to be herself. She no longer had that person, the one and the only person that could drag her out of her misery and tell her to get her shit together.

It was hard for her to accept the fact that Tamsin had been gone, but she had never said it out loud. She had never told anyone, not even herself, that she sometimes missed her, not as a friend, not as a lover, not as anyone else. She missed her because she was Tamsin, the one and the only Tamsin.

Every time she uttered that name, the last moment of theirs would appear, and it would squeeze her heart. She couldn't even describe it properly, but the painful void that it left just haunted her until now.

Had it been a combination of regret, sorrow, frustration and anger, or perhaps something completely different? Something completely different, completely new. Something that overwhelmed her, leaving her stunned, speechless and clueless.

She looked into Tamsin's eyes while a turmoil of feelings ravished inside her chest. "I'm so happy that you back, Tamsin...I just...I'm so sorry," she whispered after gently caressed Tamsin's cheek. She muttered those words again while gazing into those light eyes.

"You don't need to be sorry, Bo. As I said before, I never hated you. Whatever happened between us, it was just...hell I don't know whose fault that was but it certainly wasn't yours."

She held Bo's hand in hers and squeezed it softly. Slowly, she tucked her fingers between Bo's and locked them together. After a long, nervous hesitation, she leaned in and kissed the knuckles of Bo's fingers, before she rested her forehead against Bo's.

"Why do you...like me?" Bo asked in a whisper. She had carefully worded her question, because the word she had wanted to use had made her tongue tied.

"Because you are perfect?" Tamsin answered with a chuckle.

Bo smiled as she squeezed Tamsin's hand. "I wish I was really perfect, Tamsin."

Tamsin smiled too. She traced Bo's eyebrow with her thumb as she said, "yes you are, to me you are."

Her words were full of solemn sincerity. Too overwhelmed, Bo was left speechless again. She licked her lips while feeling that flutter inside her. A butterfly that was squeezing its wings out of its chrysalis. A stream of dancing flames. An endless strong tide. A deep longing, a burning desire. Something that was both strong and vulnerable. Something that she had thought she'd never have. Something that she had thought she had forever lost.

Slowly running the back of her index finger along a lock of Tamsin's hair, Bo gazed into those light eyes again. She saw the nervous flickers. She saw the intense passion. She saw the firm honesty. She saw all the unspoken feelings. She saw herself. She lost in them.

She leaned in, pressing her lips on Tamsin's. After a quick, brief touch, they both pulled back.

Before their lips met again, their phones beeped almost at the same time.

"Looks like we have to umm..." Bo murmured while reaching for her phone. She swallowed "continue this some time later" back and added, "Dyson's got some breakthrough on the killer gang."

"Yep, looks like it," Tamsin nodded after quickly reading the text Dyson had sent her. She slid out from under the blanket and reached for her pants that had been left on the floor. She quickly put them on, before she threw Bo her blouse.

"Come on, hotpants," she urged after having gotten lost in Bo's eyes for a brief moment. "Let's see what Dyson has found out."

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, some Valkubus moments! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Some plot twists and stuff are coming up next, and they are going to move the story forward a lot!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Tamsin and Bo went to the precinct to meet with Dyson. He was waiting for them in the morgue.

"What's this big breakthrough, wolfie?" Tamsin asked as she entered the room.

"And why did you tell us to come here?" Bo asked while closing the door behind her. "I thought you were still processing the crime scene at the convention center?"

"I was," Dyson said with a slight nod, "but after the one dead pyro Fae, one killer pyro Fae thing, I thought I could do a little digging on the first four victims."

"What did ya find?" Tamsin asked as she raised her eyebrows.

Dyson walked to the refrigeration unit. He pulled out a drawer, and showed them a dead body of a young woman. "Meet the dead pyro Fae, Libby Williams," he said as he pointed at the corpse. "She was found in a back alley behind the company she worked for."

He moved to his left and pulled out another drawer. "This is Conner Walker Jr," he introduced the dark hair, tall corpse to them. "Some kids found him inside an abandoned factory warehouse. He had a human father and a Fae other, so technically he's not really a _Fae_."

"Forbidden hybrid, no power," Tamsin commented with a sigh.

Dyson gave her a nod, before he pulled out a third drawer. Inside there was a corpse of a short, skinny guy with long, bristle hair and beard. "This is Earl Robinson-Baker," Dyson said to them. "He was found right outside his own car in a back road," he introduced. "You might not believe that he's a shifter who could shift into a large animal, since he was only 5 feet and 3 inches tall."

Tamsin frowned and turned to Bo. She met the brunette's concerned eyes. From the look on her face Tamsin knew that she must be thinking about the same thing as herself.

"What about the last victim?" Tamsin asked Dyson as she stepped forward to get closer to the refrigeration unit.

Dyson pulled out a drawer with a middle aged chubby guy's body. "Phil Scott, found outside a nightclub."

"What kind of Fae was he?" Bo asked.

Dyson glanced at the dead body, before he said, "care to take a guess?"

Tamsin snorted, though the look on her face got very serious. "He didn't happen to be a mind feeder, did he?"

"Indeed, he was a Fae who could feed off people's thoughts," Dyson told her while closing the drawers.

Bo frowned. "Wait, so you are saying that the first four victims were a pyro Fae, a shifter, a mind feeding Fae and a hybrid who didn't have any power? That's...isn't that the same as our killer gang? I mean, excluding the hybrid of course and adding in a sex demon. That can't be just a coincidence, right?"

"No, obviously it can't be. Something's going on," Tamsin concluded. "The sex demon was targeting these four for a reason, and it has to do with the powers they have."

Bo pondered for a while, before she asked Dyson, "have you identified the killer's smell at the scene?"

Dyson hesitantly gave her a slight shrug. "Yes and no," he said. "I mean, there are too many different smells and it was hard for me to isolate each of them in the first place. I can't really...I haven't identified the killers yet, but I did smell a shifter there. I assume it was from one of the killers since I didn't see any shifter among the dead."

"I'm sensing a big _but_ there," Tamsin commented.

"But, it was so strange," Dyson replied with a baffled look.

"What was so strange?" Bo asked him.

"You know, I didn't notice any particular smell from a shifter when I first got in. I guess it must be that there was too much blood and too many people," Dyson explained. "When I realized that some of those people died from a shifter, though, I paid attention to the smells in the air until I caught this shifter's. It was there, but it was very faint."

"And that's abnormal?" Bo asked.

Dyson nodded. "A little bit, because usually a shifter has a much stronger smell than others. This one though...it was light, and it wasn't all over the convention center. I smelled inside those conference rooms. I smelled it in the ballroom. I just couldn't smell it at the entrance or any of the exits. I mean, I tried to track down that smell, but as soon as I reached outside, it was gone."

"What do you mean? The shifter magically disappeared?"

"That, and he magically appeared inside the convention center without using any of the doors or windows," Dyson said. "I only smelled him inside the rooms with dead bodies. How could he have done that?"

Bo pondered hard, before something suddenly occurred to her. "Wait, what if he-could it be the Helskor? I mean, if you wear that, you could just appear at anywhere you want to be without walking through the doors, right?"

"Right, but didn't your father have the Helskor?" Dyson frowned at her.

"What if he...what if we were right, that this was done by some of his minions? He might have given the shoes to one of them, you know," Bo reminded him.

"No," Dyson shook his head firmly. "You've worn the Helskor, so has your father. If the shifter had been wearing them, I'd have smelled both of you, but I didn't." After a short pause, he emphasized, "I did not smell Hades there either."

"So it's not the Helskor...but if it wasn't the Helskor, what could it be? How could anyone just appear inside the convention center, slaughter people and then disappear like that?" Bo asked.

"Well..." Tamsin murmured. "You don't have to have the Helskor to play the vanishing magic trick. There are some artifact that could do something like that too."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, so I've come up with a list here if you want to take a look," Dyson suggested as he handed Tamsin a list of artifacts.

The two of them started to discuss whether a certain artifact could be acquired at all, and whether some of them were in fact real.

Having no knowledge about artifacts, Bo decided to check out the victims' bodies again. Then, she started to read the autopsy records, hoping that she could see something there that Dyson hadn't.

The look on those dead bodies, it reminded her her dark past. It reminded her all those bodies she had left behind, all those deaths, fears and despair.

She was no longer lost, but someone else was. Was it really another sex demon? Or was it someone else? How many people would have to die before they could find out who did it and why? Would they ever be able to find out?

Drowning in her own thoughts, she tuned out the conversation between Tamsin and Dyson until suddenly she heard Dyson's phone ringing.

The wolf answered his phone. It was a call from Lauren asking if he could come over to the convention center later.

Dyson told her that he'd be there soon. When Bo heard him saying Lauren's name, she frowned hard. It seemed to have reminded her something about the case. Like a spark it flashed in her mind for a split second before it went away.

Having noticed the look on Bo's face, Tamsin nudged her. "What is it? Is there something you wanna share?"

"Yeah, I mean...no..." Bo muttered. "It's just...I thought I had an idea about this case but I kinda lost it."

Tamsin raised her eyebrows at Bo. "Well, grab it before it's completely gone," she urged Bo.

"I can't," Bo groaned. "I don't even know what it was...it just. It's something to do with Lauren."

"Lauren?" Dyson repeated. "What about her?"

"No, it's just when you were on the phone with her, something just...popped," Bo murmured.

"Was it...something related to the relationship between you two?" Tamsin took a guess.

Bo immediately shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay..." Tamsin hummed. "Was it something...related to her clinic? Like someone who's working there or someone she knew?"

"I don't know..." Bo answered hesitantly. "I guess…?"

"Alright, does it have something to do with any of her patient? Like maybe you've seen the killer there before and something reminded you of that person?" Dyson asked.

Bo shook her head. She bit her lip hard and pondered, but still couldn't figure out what it was.

"Or, maybe it's related to her research?" Tamsin suggested since they ran out of things that were related to Lauren and her clinic.

Bo opened her lips a little and stared back at Tamsin blankly. She was about to say something but a sudden stream of thoughts prohibited her to do so. All the connections, they connected one after another. Before she knew it, her back was covered in cold sweat.

In silence, she pulled out all four drawers again and stared at those dead bodies as if they were the monsters in her worst nightmare.

"A pyro Fae, a shifter, a mind feeder," she murmured as she looked closely at each one of the bodies. "A shifter killer that appeared to be able to vanish from the crime scene...a sex demon in town that I wasn't even aware of…the sex demon was targeting these people for a reason...it had something to do with their powers…."

"Bo?" Tamsin called her name softly. "What are you mumbling about?"

Bo licked her lips as she looked at Tamsin. "I don't think we have four killers," she said. "We only have one. It was that sex demon...well at least we thought that we had a sex demon-"

"I don't understand," Dyson interrupted her, beyond confused. "What do you mean by we only have one killer?"

"I meant exactly as I said. We only have one killer," Bo said firmly.

"No, we have four," Dyson reminded her. "Unless you are telling me that a sex demon could also shoot flames out from his hand, feed off people's mind and shift into a large animal."

"Yeah, I was actually gonna say that. The pyro Fae, the mind eater, the shifter and the sex demon. They are the same person."

"That's impossible!" Dyson argued. "We've never even heard of any Fae like that! It might be possible that someone out there has two Fae powers, but do you know how rare that is? I think there were only like four or five documented cases through the entire Fae history. Now you are telling me that a sex demon has four different Fae powers?"

"The killer is not exactly a sex demon," Bo explained. "We only considered that it must have been a sex demon, because these four victims looked drained."

"True," Tamsin joined the conversation. "If it wasn't a sex demon, what could it be?"

"Someone who could drain them," Bo elaborated.

"So, a sex demon," Dyson concluded.

Bo shook her head. "No, because he didn't kill them for their Chi. He killed them for their Fae powers," Bo told her. "The killer killed these four first, drained their power, and then singled handedly killed everyone inside that convention center. This could also explain why Dyson couldn't smell him outside. The killer entered and exited the center as himself. He only turned into a shifter inside."

"Now you are just being crazy," Dyson commented. "You are telling me that our killer took other Fae's power? There's no such Fae who could do that. Had there been one, he'd have ruled the world forever."

"Yes, there was. There was one once," Tamsin reminded him. "Lauren."

Dyson furrowed his eyebrows at her. After letting out a few confused growls, he said, "you are not saying that Lauren was the killer, are you?"

"No, dumbass," Tamsin rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder. "I was saying that Lauren once turned herself into a conduit, remember? She could absorb other people's power, and our killer might exactly be like that! Also, do I need to remind you that Hades stole her serum, the serum which could turn someone into a conduit?"

"You think Hades took the serum and did all this? No...I didn't smell him anywhere near any of the crime scenes, not to mention that the serum won't even work on Hades. Besides, no one could even survive the side effect of that serum. Remember how it almost killed Lauren?"

"She was almost killed because she was a human. A human body couldn't sustain that change," Bo told him. "What if we are not dealing with a human? What if we are dealing with someone that's much more powerful than human?"

"That serum doesn't work on Faes," Dyson reminded her.

"I know. I'm not talking about a Fae either," Bo said.

Dyson studied the look on her face. "You seem to have someone in particular on your mind," he commented.

"I do," Bo nodded. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "my half brother Zagreus, an Ancient who doesn't possess any power."

Too shocked by the conclusion, Dyson stared at Bo. "Are you saying that..." he mumbled. "That your half brother..."

"-was turned into a killing machine by that serum? Yep, she's totally saying that," Tamsin said to him.

"But, how is that even possible? The serum only works on humans. You'd also have to touch someone to use the power. You let go of that person, you don't have it anymore. And did I mention that the serum would only work on humans?"

"Yeah, we heard you," Bo said.

Dyson scratched his head impatiently. "I mean, yeah, it would make sense if what you suspect is true, but...but...I don't think that the serum would work like that." He turned to Tamsin, hoping that the Valkyrie could back him up. After noticing that Tamsin was siding with Bo, he frowned at her and asked hesitantly, "or would it work like that?"

"I think the only person who could answer that question would be Lauren," Bo told him.

* * *

The penthouse that Zeus and her family once stayed look quiet and peaceful just like last time Kenzi and Dagny had been here. Other than a thin layer of dust over everything, nothing had changed.

Kenzi brushed off a small dusty smudge on her boots, before she picked up a cushion from the couch lazily. She examined the content inside carefully but found nothing interesting, just like last time she had examined it.

Tossing it back into the couch, she snorted. "How many times do we have to go through this shithole to finally accept the fact that the lightning is not here at all."

"Well, Nyx said to check out the places Zeus had stayed, so it's gotta be here," Dagny replied while going through the closet. There were a few dusty dresses inside, some of which had been damaged by clothes moth.

"We've been through everything for a few times already, girl," Kenzi reminded her. "Hell, Lauren even brought that whatever machine to check inside the walls! We found nothing."

"We must have missed something," Dagny said. "I just..I know it's gotta be here. Where could she have hidden it?"

"Gee, I don't know," Kenzi murmured while fumbling through the things on the shelf beside her. "Inside this old, crappy nutcracker? Under this goblet? Behind these scrolls? In another dimension?"

"Maybe she hid it, like...you know maybe there's a secret chamber or something?" Dagny asked as she opened a drawer and examined it. There were nothing but a few old magazines in there.

"Yeah, like where, sweetie?" Kenzi threw her hands into the air in frustration.

She sat down on the couch and watched Dagny searching for Zeus' lightning. "So, how's it going living with your mama?" She asked.

"It's going great. Why?" Dagny frowned at her after she closed the drawer.

"Nothing, just checking," Kenzi shrugged. "How's the battle training going?"

"It's going alright. She says I need more practice, though."

"Um hm," Kenzi nodded. "How's school going? How's your midterm?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. Chemistry teacher is a jerk," Dagny grunted.

Kenzi whispered an "okay" to herself, before she decided to join Dagny in search for the lightning in the kitchen.

Dagny crawled into the huge cabinet space but found nothing. She came out frustrated, wiping her face with her dust covered hand, leaving streaks of black and gray on her face.

Kenzi couldn't help but laugh. Shaking her head, she took out some tissue and cleaned the young girl's face for her. "I can't believe you are this big now. You were such a tiny little baby when I first had you. That was only ten years ago."

"Eleven," Dagny corrected her.

"Fine," Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Let's just...go through this place one more time and then we'll go home, okay?"

Dagny nodded as they headed into the study. The book shelf was half empty. Books and scrolls piled up on the shelf carelessly.

They went through the books, but found nothing worth investigating. As Dagny stretched, a rather cold breeze came through the window, bringing a puff of dust into her nose, making her sneeze.

She wiped her nose noisily with her sleeve. "I hope that Hades won't find it before we do," she murmured.

"Oh, trust me, dear, had he had it, he'd have been bragging about it 24/7 with that jackass smirk on his face," Kenzi told her. "If Zee left it here, it's still here."

"I hope it is, and I hope we find it soon. I also hope that when we find it, that a-hole would be here I could just-"

She threw her right arm out like she was waving a sword at someone. Then, she sneezed again in the chill breeze. "Did we open the window?" She asked in a frown.

"I opened it, dear," a lazy, arrogant voice came from behind the bookshelf before Kenzi could answer Dagny. "And please, why do my daughters always want to greet me by threatening to hurt me?"

Dagny froze. Anger and fear suddenly became the only two things that were inside her. She grabbed the hilt of her short sword and squeezed it hard while taking a deep breath. Then, she shoved Kenzi out and told her to run.

She raised her short sword when Hades walked out from behind the bookshelf. He was wearing a nice suit just as usual, and that sly smile on his face just made her want to punch him hard.

Behind him, there was another man whom Dagny had never seen before. He, too, was wearing a nice suit, though his suit didn't seem to fit him that well. It was hugging his chest too tight, but wasn't tight enough around his waist. The pants looked like it was half an inch too long.

She could tell that the man had never worn something like that in his entire life. She also noticed that look in his eyes, vicious yet unconfident.

She slowly took a step back while staring at Hades vigilantly.

"Oh come on, kid, you don't have to act like that every time I see you," Hades snorted. "I was just in town and I thought I'd come here looking for Zeus' lightning."

"It's not here," Dagny told him. "Even if it is, don't think for a second that I'll let you have it."

"Oh I'm sure it's somewhere around here," Hades said in a lazy, confident tone. "Zee is very good at hiding things. You know why?"

"Honestly, I don't really care. You want the lightning, you'll have to go through me," Dagny warned him.

The man behind Hades took a step forward and bared his teeth at Dagny, but Hades raised his hand telling him to stand down.

"Our mother, Rhea, was very good at hiding things. She hid Zee from our father for centuries. Zee learned from the best," Hades explained to Dagny. He glanced at Dagny's sword, before he continued, "why don't you put that thing down and come over here? Come on, give your brother a hug."

Dagny frowned at him as she was beyond confused about the word "brother". She hesitantly looked at the guy behind Hades, before she turned her eyes back to Hades.

Hades grinned and stepped aside. He pushed the other guy forward slightly, before he introduced, "Zagreus, Dagny. Dagny, Zagreus."

The man raised his eyes and looked at Dagny indifferently. His hands were trembling a little, and his forehead was covered in sweat. He was clenching his teeth and his posture seemed very rigid, as if he was trying to contain some raw, wild forced inside him.

Dagny took a step back and raised her sword. She held it in a defensive stance while staring at Zagreus. Her hostile attitude seemed to have upset him.

Zagreus growled. He turned his head to the side forcefully, shaking his head like crazy. Blood came out from his mouth as fangs cut through his gums and stuck out from his lips. Fur burst through his skin. His fingernails grew into sharp claws and his enlarged body busted his shirt. In seconds, he turned into a giant, bear-like monster.

"Ahhh, great. There goes another suit," Hades grunted.

Zagreus threw his arm at Dagny in a loud, furious growl. His claw dragged across Dagny's blade, making shrill noise.

He grabbed her sword and yanked it out from her hand forcefully, before he tossed it aside. Then, he growled at her again and charged at her.

"Whoops, I forgot to mention that Zagreus is new to his powers. He has yet learned to control them. This might end ugly," Hades commented. With a grin on his face, he comfortably leaned against the wall as he watched his two kids fight.

* * *

Bo, Tamsin and Dyson stormed into the convention center. They found Lauren in one of the temporary autopsy rooms.

"You guys are finally here," Lauren said while weighing a victim's heart in the scale. "I could really use some help."

"Lauren, we need to talk," Bo told her firmly as she pointed at the heart in Lauren's hand, "you might want to put that thing down for now."

Lauren frowned at her, but she did what Bo had told her. She pulled her mask down and took off her gloves. "What's the matter? You guys found another crime scene?" She asked while wondering why all three of them looked so serious.

"No," Bo shook her head. "It's about your serum."

"My serum? The serum that could turn humans into conduits?" Lauren raised her eyebrows at Bo. After getting another nod, she said, "you guys found my serum?"

"No, we...umm...we have some question about that serum."

"Okay…?"

"Does it only work humans?" Bo asked.

"It should, because my test results indicates that it wouldn't work on Fae," Lauren told her.

"Would it work on the Ancients?" Bo asked her.

Lauren frowned. "The Ancients? It shouldn't. I don't think so. Why?"

"So it's absolutely impossible that it would work on the Ancients?" Dyson asked.

Lauren licked her lips as she tucked her hands into her lab coat pockets. "Well...I've performed experiments on samples I took from Hades, and the serum didn't work. So, no, I don't think it would work on the Ancients. What is this all about?"

"So you did experiments, and it didn't work?" Dyson asked.

Lauren nodded. "The experiments I've done suggested that it would only work on humans. More specifically, the serum only works on TTV carriers."

"TTV carriers?" Bo frowned, confused.

"TTV is a common, benign virus found in humans," Lauren explained. "It doesn't make people sick, but I've found evidences linking TTV to the inactivation of gene chml2p, czlm and…."

She started to name a list of genes whose names sounded like weird codes to the other three.

"Ummm...Lauren?" Bo interrupted her.

"I'm sorry," Lauren apologized. "What I am saying is that...those genes are basically the reason why Faes have power while humans don't."

"Humans don't have them or something?" Tamsin frowned.

"Oh, we do. It's just that they are no longer active due to the long time presence of TTV. For Fae, though, they have always been active because Faes don't have TTV in their system for some reason."

"Okay...so do Ancients have this...this TTV too?"

"No, they don't. That's why I said the serum shouldn't work on them, because the serum has to bind with TTV in order to work," Lauren told her.

"So...if you have TTV, you don't have powers. If you don't have it, you have powers?" Bo concluded what she had just learned.

"Exactly," Lauren nodded.

"Then..." Tamsin frowned. "What about an Ancient who doesn't have power? Would the serum work on him?"

Lauren opened her mouth, but she suddenly couldn't get a single word out. She wanted to tell Bo "no" but she couldn't be sure since she had never considered the possibility that an Ancient could be powerless. The extensive studies she had done were mostly based on humans and Fae, not the Ancients.

"I..." she stuttered. "I don't know."

"So, it's possible," Tamsin said.

Lauren licked her lips nervously. "I suppose that...if this Ancient doesn't have TTV, then…."

She didn't finish her sentence when Bo's phone started to beep in a loud, weird tone.

Bo took a quick glance at it and announced, "it's Kenzi. She's sending me a distress signal. She's in danger."

* * *

 **A/N: to the anon who asked how often this story gets updated, I would say normally one chapter per week. Occasionally I might be able to update two per week but that's rare. Sometimes I might skip a week if I run into a paper submission deadline or some heavy grading task in school. I try to write as often as I can, but with my research, dissertation and an attention seeking toddler, I think one chapter per week is probably what I could do for most of the days.**

 **I hope everyone likes where this story is going so far. More Valkubus moments to come in next chapter or two :D**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When Bo and Tamsin arrived at the building where Zeus' penthouse was at, they immediately saw a dim, crimson glow coming through the windows of the penthouse. They could also hear some vague grunts that seemed to be coming from an enraged animal.

They rushed into the elevator and went all the way up. Just as they arrived at the top, something slammed hard into the elevator door from the other side. The impact bent the door, leaving a huge dent there.

The door would no longer open properly. Tamsin and Bo had to pry it open. As they were doing that, they caught a glimpse of inside the penthouse.

Dagny was in her true form, fully transformed, with rage. She was in the middle of the air brandishing her weapon, her eyes cold and red.

In front of her, there was a furry beast. It was obviously in its killing mode, with its teeth bared and its claws out. Low, warning growls came out from its throat as it stared at Dagny with great hostility.

Behind the beast, Hades was standing against the wall, smirking. He raised his hand at Bo when he saw her, and the beast roared while charging at Bo and Tamsin.

It hit the elevator door repeatedly before it eventually ripped the doors apart. As its claw slashed at them, Tamsin spun around, held Bo by her waist and rolled into the penthouse.

They tumbled on the floor and stopped after hitting the half torn couch. Tamsin slammed her foot at the loveseat and pushed it towards the beast when it came at them again. The beast tripped while growling in great frustration.

Tamsin and Bo ran to Dagny's side. The young girl gave them an indifferent nod and raised her weapon when she saw the beast standing up again.

"Oh come on, kids," Hades drawled as he glanced at all the drawn blades and cautious look on the women's faces. He took a few step forward, just in time to grab the back of the beast's neck.

"You might wanna calm down, Zag," he told the beast in a gentle voice as his hand glowed blue.

The beast growled, shaking his head in pain. It hugged itself tight and mumbled something, before it shifted into a naked man. He panted weakly and collapsed into floor, before he pulled a piece of rug over to cover himself.

"Zagreus...?" Bo murmured as she stared at the man's face in shock. Then, she raised her head to look at her father and hissed, "you gave him the serum, didn't you? You _made_ him a Fae. Not only that, you also made him a killing machine who takes people's powers by draining them."

"Oh please, Bo. I didn't make him Fae. I didn't make him anything. All I did was giving him a little help. He's one hundred percent Ancient. He's way better than Fae," Hades corrected her. "I just gave him a little power."

"A little power?" Bo raised her voice as she pointed at the shaking Zagreus who still had part of his skin covered in dark, thick bristle. "You can't just _give_ him power like that. You know exactly what that serum does to people! He's lucky that he's still standing and breathing!"

"Relax, your brother is completely fine. He's just not used to all the powers inside him yet," Hades shrugged. "He's still learning."

Zagreus shook his head in grunts, as if he didn't want to admit that he was still struggling to control his powers. "I'm fine," he hissed at Hades. Then, he turned to Bo and said, "and I don't need you to tell me what to do."

"Zagreus," Bo said after a sigh. "Look, I don't know what he has told you and I don't know how much of that crap you actually bought, but he's a liar. You can't trust him. You may think having all those powers is a great thing right now, but that serum...it's dangerous. And all those people you killed? They are-"

"They are nothing," Zagreus cut her off. "They weren't there when I was laughed at or mocked. They didn't offer me any help when I was down. The only one that was willing to help me, was my father."

"He's not helping you," Bo told him. "He's using you. He's trying to make you his loyal lieutenant of world destruction."

"Why would I want world destruction?" Hades frowned at Bo as he shrugged again. "I never said that, and hey, don't forget that I offered you that job first and you turned it down. Can't blame me for offering that job to someone else, right?"

"You shut it, you fucking asshole," Bo growled at Hades furiously. She then turned to Zagreus and said, "Zagreus, please, you have to listen to me. This man here-" she pointed at Hades, "-has tortured and killed a lot of people. We believe that he has killed your birth mother too. He probably impersonated her and lured you into his trap. You have to stop siding with him."

Hades snorted. "You don't think he already knew that? Believe what you want but really, sometimes I can be the most honest father."

"What?" Bo was surprised.

"Yeah," Zagreus said. "He killed my birth mother, so what?"

"You knew...and you didn't care, at all?" Tamsin asked in shock.

"At first I did," Zagreus answered her honestly, "I mean, she was my birth mother after all, but then I thought, why would I care? She wasn't there for me when I was in pain. She wasn't the one who came for me and sought me out. I guess she didn't want me at all. Even if she did, she wouldn't allow me to have this much power, would she? So...no, I don't care at all. Of all the people in the world, my father is the only person that has given me what I've always wanted."

"Your mother sent you away because she wanted to protect you," Bo explained to him. "From him. You being another him was exactly what she had been afraid of."

"Believe what you want, but I was taken away from them because people just hated the idea of me having power. I guess it was because they were all afraid of me," Zagreus said as he raised his left hand. A ball of flames appeared and he hurled it at Bo, Tamsin and Dagny. Dagny flapped her wings and rose while the other two women rolled away.

"Alright, enough for the crazy talk, dude," Tamsin said as she raised her sword. "The serum you took, it will either kill you in five days or make you crazy. Well, I guess it's safe to say that the latter has already happened."

Bo nudged her before she cautiously turned to Zagreus. "Zagreus, or Zag, please, take a moment, calm down and think. This man-" she pointed at the smirking Hades, "-has not seen or visited you for forty years, and then suddenly he shows up and promises you all the things that you've always wanted. You don't think there's something wrong?"

"It doesn't matter," Zagreus bit the words out. "The only thing that matters right now is that I have what I want and I'm super powerful!"

He reached his right hand out and faced his palm towards Bo's head. As his muscles clenched and his fingers curled, Bo suddenly felt a rush of heat in her head. As she felt that her brain was boiling, she cried out in pain and stumbled back.

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down," Hades commanded with a lazy voice as he slapped Zagreus's wrist. Zagreus mumbled some slur and lowered his hand.

Bo let out a deep breath after the heat inside her head was gone. She gasped, trying to hold her dagger but her fingers were too weak to hold it.

"Zagre..." she said with a weak voice while holding Tamsin's arm to keep her balance. "Don't take this the wrong way but having so much power can actually kill you."

Zagreus tilted his head at Bo as he let out a vicious grin. "I feel great," he said as he looked at his right hand. His fingers trembled a little for the strong energy flow inside his veins. "I've never felt better."

"The serum you took...there's gonna be consequences. it will drain you, before it kills you," Bo told him breathlessly.

Hades scoffed before Zagreus spat out any slurs at Bo. "Just because it almost killed your human girlfriend, oh wait, excuse me, I meant your ex wife-"

He pulled his lips into a cold smile when he saw the painful look in Bo's eyes as he mentioned Lauren. "See, I've told you before, Bo. You aren't capable of love, and you just can't stop ruining your relationship. Truth hurts, I know, but it really isn't in our family."

He raised his hand and faked an innocent look when Bo gave him a cold glare. "Anyway, what I was saying is that...true, the serum is too strong for humans like Lauren, but not for an Ancient. Zagre is not a human, and he's a perfect candidate for the serum."

He paused briefly as he looked at the three women. "I know you all have a thing for humans and I know that humans often convince themselves that they are capable of something great, but please, how could you possibly think someone as weak and pathetic as Dr. Lauren Lewis could handle a serum like this? This serum was never meant for her."

Bo frowned at her father's words. "What do you mean that it was never meant for her?" She asked as she carefully studied the look on Hades' face. "It wasn't like she got it from someone else or something. She developed it herself. She made it possible to transform a human into a conduit. Just because it was too strong for humans doesn't mean she didn't deserve it."

"She _developed_ it herself? She _made_ it possible?" Hades mocked Bo by mimicking her tone. "Oh Bo, you think she really developed it on her own? You think she was able to make it happen at all if I didn't point her to the right direction?"

He watched Bo, amused. "You don't know about all these, do you?"

Bo licked her lips nervously. She didn't want to admit it but she really had no idea that Hades was crucial in developing the serum. She knew that Lauren had gotten help from him, but she didn't know how much help she had gotten since it was one of the many forbidden topics between them and neither had bothered to bring it up.

"You know..." Hades said, "She works hard for that, I gotta admit that at least. She probably spent years on that thing because she wanted to be your partner for lifetime so much. She's so desperate, it was actually funny, but she just couldn't figure it out. She had all the things in front of her, and she couldn't make the connection. She'd ever have noticed the use of TTV, if I hadn't told her so. She made the serum happen because of me, Bo."

Bo stared at him in silence. As she realized that what Hades had said might be true, that he had manipulated Lauren into developing the serum, she felt a sudden fear.

She couldn't help but wonder why he had done that. It was certainly not for doing Lauren a favor, because someone like Hades would never help people out of a good heart. Then why did he help Lauren? Did he do that as a huge f-you to both of them for wanting to be together, or did he do that for something else? Was he planning that all alone? Did he help Lauren because he had planned to give that serum to Zagreus way before he found him?

"You..." Bo stared at him and murmured, "you manipulated Lauren into making that serum. You knew it was gonna kill her but you didn't care, did you?"

"Umm...to be fair, I didn't tell her to drink it," Hades shrugged at Bo. "She made her choice, and her dream was crushed. It has nothing to do with me. I mean, I could have made the serum myself but when I could crush someone's dream like that I just couldn't help it. And yes, I know all along that this serum would work on the Ancients who possess no power because of the TTV thing but I really don't want to get into too much details of that-"

Bo cut him off by throwing a punch into his face. Zagreus howled furiously and grabbed her wrist.

As his fingers tightened around Bo's wrist, Bo felt a strong tug inside her. A force that was both strange and dangerously strong, it was pulling her soul out. The pain was so intense that she couldn't even let a single sound out.

She wanted to break free, but she was too weak to do so. She couldn't even suck his Chi out or glow him because her Succubus self didn't seem to be there at all. In horror, she saw Zagreus raise his lips into a smile and his eyes turn bright blue.

The next thing she knew, was both Dagny's blade and Tamsin's sword swinging at Zagreus' arm. Zagreus let go of her while grabbing the other two women's blades with his bare hands. He fought them violently, leaving a trail of blood and broken things everywhere.

Bo fell back, almost collapsing since she could barely feel her legs. She pressed her back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. When she met Tamsin's concerned eyes, she gave her a nod and a pale smile.

"Kids, kids, please, calm down," Hades commanded as he waved his hand and shot a stream of blue energy at the three who were fighting. The energy threw everyone into the floor.

"I didn't come here to watch this mess. I came here to say hi," Hades said to everyone softly. "Oh, and I came here for the lightning too. So, where is it?"

"If you actually think we'd tell you, you are out of your mind," Bo hissed as she slowly moved to Tamsin's side. She held the Valkyrie's hand and squeezed it while staring back at Hades.

"You don't have to but-" Hades said as he snapped his finger. The handprint on Bo's chest lit up brightly and she groaned in pain.

Tamsin dashed at him and swung her sword at him, temporarily breaking the energy bond between Hades and Bo. Bo let out a deep breath while clutching her chest with her sweaty hand. Hades gave Tamsin a grin and pushed her away forcefully using his blue energy.

He tried to torture Bo again, but Dagny stopped him by slashing her blade at him. She left a short yet deep cut on his shoulder.

The wound glowed in a crimson color and it soon turned darker. Maybe it was the pain, or it was the fact that he got hit, the lazy smirk on his face was finally gone. He clenched his teeth as his eyes became cold.

"Touch them again, I'll slit your throat and gut you," Dagny threatened him while holding her weapon up.

"We'll see about that," Hades hissed as he raised his hand again. A bright blue glow gathered around his fingers. As his hand turned, a blue vortex appeared in the air. It grew stronger and denser as it span with a crazy speed. It eventually turned into a millions of pellets and they rained down at the three women.

Tamsin pulled Bo over and covered her, while Dagny firmly stood in front of them. The young girl raised her weapon in reflex. As the shots of energy came towards her she covered her head with her empty arm in a defensive stance.

Her weapon changed into a puff of red smoke, but instead of disappearing, it quickly gathered around her left arm and formed a crimson shield just in time to hold off the blue energy.

When the blue met the red, the collision forced everyone back. Dagny clenched her jaw and held her position even though she felt like she was hit by a tornado.

She saw the blue energy got tossed around and then it came back again. She could feel the impact on her shield. Her shield had now turned into a thin layer of crimson standing between her and Hades.

She forced the blue energy back, and Hades pushed harder with a ferocious look on his face. Eventually neither of them was capable of controlling that power anymore. With a loud boom, the glass on the windows shattered. As the shards flew out, the furnitures and everything else went with them.

The great force on her shield was suddenly gone, and Dagny got tossed out of the penthouse too. In falling rubbles, she flapped her wings hard while looking for Tamsin and Bo. However, neither of them was in sight.

She flew back to the penthouse, which had been torn apart. Most of it was blown away, and only the kitchen remained in tact.

She didn't see Hades or Zagreus either. She started to flip over the loose floorboard or broken furniture to look for Bo or Tamsin.

She stopped when she saw something buried under a pile of twisted coathangers.

It was a colorful friendship bracelet with beads. Something she made in one of her first art classes. She gave it to Kenzi and Kenzi had been wearing it since.

Dagny picked it up. For a moment she could no longer think or reason. She remembered that she had told Kenzi to run for her life when Hades had showed up. She also remembered that she shoved Kenzi out of the room. But, didn Kenzi really leave? Or did she stayed?

Dagny looked for Kenzi. When she turned to the kitchen wall, she paused. There, she saw a word written in blood.

 _Tartarus._

* * *

Tamsin raised her shoulder while waiting for the ringing in her ears to go away. She groaned and moved her fingers. She groaned again at the overwhelming soreness she felt on every inch of her flesh.

She pried her eyes open, and the bright sunlight almost made her blind.

"Fucking fuck..." she murmured, spitting out the dust and dirt in her mouth. Then, with both hands, she pushed off a large piece of wood on top of her.

She struggled to sit up, surprised to find herself inside some abandoned warehouse lot. She was practically lying on top of a pile of old trash and she found herself extremely lucky that there was a sharp protruding metal rod that was only a few inches away from where her head had been.

When she saw Bo lying a few feet away from her, she was a little relieved. Though, the brunette seemed to have passed out.

Tamsin scrambled over and held Bo's head up. She brushed the dirt and wood chips off the brunette's face and tapped her cheek gently. "Hey, Bo, wake up."

Bo slowly opened her eyes after a while. An exhausted grunt escaped from her mouth. She jolted when she saw Tamsin's face while reaching for her dagger in reflex.

"Hey, calm down, bitch," Tamsin told her in a teasing tone before she looked around vigilantly for possible threats.

"Where the hell are we?" Bo asked as she grimaced at some suspicious dark goo that was stuck on her pants.

"Well...according to the map app, we are...a mile north to Zeus' apartment," Tamsin told her after checking her phone. She was beyond surprised that it would still work despite that the screen was shattered.

"We are?" Bo murmured in a frown. She pulled herself into a sitting position, feeling so drained that she couldn't even feel any pain. It took her quite some time to eventually register the whole situation. "How did we get here? Didn't we-Hades was...where is Dagny? Where's Kenzi? And...and how did we get here?"

"My guess? We got tossed out from the building and landed here, although it's a miracle that we are both alive with no broken bones," Tamsin commented.

"I'm not sure that my tailbone would agree with that," Bo grunted while furrowing her brows in pain.

Tamsin rolled her eyes and called Dagny or Kenzi. Neither of them were picking up, and she wasn't sure if it was because her phone was shattered.

"Let's just go back there and check," she suggested and Bo gave her a nod.

* * *

They went back to the building, shocked to see that half of the penthouse was gone. A panicking crowd gathered in front of the building, talking, yelling, and crying while the sirens from police cars were approaching.

Tamsin and Bo forced their way through the crowd. As they headed upstairs they heard an earful of some dark winged, hovering angel gossip.

They climbed up through the elevator shaft and eventually they arrived at the penthouse. There, they saw Dagny sobbing in the middle of the rubbles. She was still in her true form but her weapon was gone. Her wings draped behind her listlessly.

"Hey!" Tamsin ran to her daughter and held her in her arms. After having made sure that Dagny wasn't injured but seemed to be in shock, she asked, "you okay, kid?"

Dagny raised her head and looked at her blankly with tears all over her face. "He took her," she told Tamsin in a whimper.

Tamsin frowned. "Who took whom?"

"Kenzi," Dagny replied as she pointed at the kitchen wall. "I think...I think Hades took Kenzi."

"Oh shit..." Bo murmured in fear as she saw the message on the wall. The blood was still fresh.

* * *

 **A/N: to the anon who asked if the title of this fic was from the Evanescence song, no it's not (although I'd say that yes the lyric of the song quite fits this fic). However, the title is from a song's name. It's Wake Me Up by Ayumi Hamasaki. Actually several titles of my fics are from the titles of her songs. I used to be a big fan of hers, well I still am but haven't kept up closely with any updates or releases for a long time.**

 **Soooo...Hades now had Kenzi, not good, not good. Team Valkubus are gonna go to Tartarus and save her fast.**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It took Tamsin and Bo quite some effort to eventually convince Dagny that going after Hades right now was not a good idea at all. Beyond exhausted and frustrated, Dagny went into her own room with angry grunts.

"Is she gonna be okay? She's not gonna sneak out and go to Tartarus herself tonight, is she?" Bo asked Tamsin after having watched Dagny quietly close her bedroom door.

"If she does she's gonna get her ass kicked," Tamsin snorted.

Bo sighed and tried Kenzi's phone one more time. She still had this slim hope that Kenzi didn't get abducted by Hades. Instead she might have just dropped her bracelet at the penthouse when she tried to get away earlier and now she was hiding for her dear life.

As time went by, though, her hope withered. No one had seen Kenzi, and the Russian woman never went back home, or the Dal, or anywhere else. In fear and rage, Bo reluctantly accepted the fact that Hades had taken Kenzi with him as a hostage.

"What are we gonna do now?" She murmured absentmindedly as she stared at her phone screen.

"Shower and rest, I guess," Tamsin shrugged. "We don't have much clue, and we don't have the lightning. Dagny's too scared and angry to fight right now. She's in no shape for a rescue mission. Besides, we have no idea what Tartarus might look like right now. He could have a whole army down there waiting for us…."

After giving Bo's pale face a quick glance, she added, "also, you look like you are dying."

"I'm fine. I just...I just need a minute to recover," Bo replied.

"You sure you only need a _minute_? You look like crap, Bo," Tamsin pointed out the obvious.

"Gee, thanks," Bo grunted while rolling her eyes.

"I am serious," Tamsin drawled. She gently brushed the tip of Bo's nose, before she wrapped her fingers around Bo's hand. She squeezed the brunette's fingers to stop them from quivering. "You really don't look good. Are your hurt? Did Zagreus suck your Succubus out or something?"

"No I am not hurt, and yeah he could only wish," Bo murmured after taking a deep breath. She tried to act normal but she still got cold sweat on her back. Fear would overwhelm her whenever she thought about how close she had been to death today.

He had almost ended her like he had done to those dead Faes she had seen in the convention center. When he had grabbed her and tried to take her power, she had felt that whatever that was that made her a Succubus was being forced out of her body despite her struggles. She had never felt that helpless before.

"What?" Tamsin asked, concerned.

"Nah, I just need some rest and...I guess I'll go home for a bit," Bo mumbled.

"You sure you want to do that? I mean, you could really use some Succubus juice right now," Tamsin suggested.

Bo licked her lips nervously. "That sounds...surprisingly dirty, you know," she pointed out.

Tamsin gave her a big shrug and a whatever face. "I mean it, Bo. I can't drag your ass around Tartarus while looking for Kenzi like this. You need to juice up."

"Are you volunteering or something?" Bo teased as she raised her eyebrows at the Valkyrie. A part of her wondered if she had just taken a dangerous move, but she was more than willing to risk it right now because she really needed it.

She needed some heated, wild sex. She needed some physical comfort. She needed a lot of pleasurable pain. She needed someone to hold her and to get the best as well as the worst out of her.

Tamsin curled her lips into a mischievous smile. She leaned in and held Bo by her waist. "You bet your ass I am," she breathed into Bo's ear.

Bo's breath turned heavy and her eyes flashed blue. She cupped the Valkyrie's face and started to kiss her. After a few long, messy kisses, they stumbled into Tamsin's bedroom.

Tamsin locked the door behind her and then she pinned Bo against it.

For a moment they just stood there staring at each other, like they wanted to figure each other out. Then, their lips touched again, in hunger, in eagerness, and in desperation. They breathed into each other's lips. They savored each other. They ran their tongue and their fingers on each other. They bit, nibbled, and sucked. They held each other so tight, as if they wanted to become one.

Bo came embarrassingly fast. Before she let that loud moan out of her lips, Tamsin covered her mouth.

"Shhh..." she shushed Bo in a whisper as she flicked Bo's soaked folds, smearing her juices everywhere. "You don't want to wake Dagny up," she reminded Bo as she pressed the tip of her middle finger on Bo's clit and circle around it gently.

Bo swallowed her moans back, still throbbing. She bit her bottom lip hard when a second wave of pleasure cascaded her. Her swollen, sensitive flesh, Tamsin flicked back and forth on it. She wanted to scream. She wanted to moan. She wanted to let her voice out just so the Valkyrie could know exactly how much she was enjoying this moment, but she had to keep quiet.

The suppressed moans, the short breath, the occasional soft whimper and the need for silence became the best and the most wonderful aphrodisiac. Bo got pushed higher and higher. She had to clench every piece of her muscles and fist the sheets under her. At one point, she had to bite down on Tamsin's shoulder hard to stop herself from screaming.

She dug her fingernails into Tamsin's back while she exploded on her hand. She came so hard that even the slightest touch on her clit now felt like torture. A painfully sweet torture.

She clung to Tamsin desperately. "More…" she breathed her demand into Tamsin's ear as she grabbed the Valkyrie's hand. She guided them to her throbbing entrance and pushed them inside. "I want more..." she pleaded, deliberately clenching her muscles around those long, skillful digits.

"Do you have any idea how wet and hot you are right now?" Tamsin asked in a shaking voice while slowly moving her fingers in and out.

"Mhm," Bo barely let that sound slip out between her lips. She gagged in her moan when Tamsin's finger carelessly brushed on her sweet spot.

The Valkyrie teased her while enjoying her begging, pleading and cussing. She pulled her fingers all the way out and feathered Bo's folds as she watched Bo tremble under her touch.

She watched the brunette open her lips and begged in silence with her lust fueled eyes, before she slammed her fingers inside Bo hard.

She hungrily covered Bo's lips with her own to muffle Bo's loud moan. She let her feed until she couldn't take more Chi.

They took a brief break, where both were breathless, high and sweaty and they bodies tightly pressed together.

Tamsin let her fingers slide out eventually. They were coated in Bo's juices. She gave Bo a wink, opened her legs wide and offered Bo the best view in the sluttiest way. Slowly sliding those wet fingers down to her own pussy, she invited Bo to dominate her by rubbing herself with those juice coated fingers.

Bo didn't take the invitation immediately. She watched. She teased Tamsin with dirty talks and barely there touches. She pulled Tamsin's legs open and lowered her head but only gave her a light kiss instead of eating her out.

She took her time. She waited. She made sure that the foreplay was painfully long before she finally went in with full Succubus force.

Through their orgasms, their entangled limbs and their connected lips, Bo felt like herself again. She was no longer alone, nor was she lost. She found herself, just like how they've found each other.

* * *

After having slept for a few hours with all kinds of unsettled dreams, Tamsin got up to get something to drink.

She wondered when Bo had left, and then she saw Bo sprawling on her couch in the living room with a bottle of beer on the floor beside her.

"Hey, I thought you left," Tamsin said, her eyebrows raised at Bo.

"Why would I leave?" Bo shrugged with a chuckle. "You got beer here."

Tamsin rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of liquor out from the cabinet. Instead of opening it, though, she put it back and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge instead.

"Wow, no more night drinking? It's so not you," Bo teased as she eyed the water bottle.

"Well, one of us has to stay sober, and certainly it's not going to be you I assume," Tamsin clinked her bottle on Bo's.

She took a swig from her bottle while studying Bo's look. Through the shadows she noticed the subtle heaviness in those brown eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Bo bit her lips as she struggled to sit up. "I just...I guess I just don't want to stay at the shack tonight."

Tamsin sighed. "What you are worried that I'm gonna kick you out or something?"

"No," Bo let that word bubble out. Then she made some meaningless popping noise as she tapped the bottle.

"Relax, or chillax as Kenzi would say," Tamsin told her as she threw herself into the couch, almost elbowing Bo in the face. "We're gonna get her back. I don't care if we have to turn the whole Tartarus upside down to do that."

"Yeah, how are we gonna do that? We don't have Zeus' lightning. We don't have anything. We can't even beat Zagreus."

Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows as she watched the frustration fleeting across Bo's eyes. "You okay?" She asked again after she looked at Bo closely. "You still look weak."

Bo let out a loud sigh as she sank into the couch. "Zagreus is...really powerful," she admitted. "He's-I mean, when Lauren was a conduit, I barely felt her pulling my power. I'm supposed to heal fast, you know, but for Zagreus...he's like-I just feel really drained."

"You still feel drained? I thought you said you couldn't take any more Chi," Tamsin raised her eyebrows and stared at Bo.

"I-it's not like that," Bo murmured. "I didn't mean that I'm still hungry and anything. I just feel like...the Succubus me inside need some time to heal."

She paused briefly, before she grunted, "how the hell is this even possible?"

"Ummm...Lauren's serum, he took it. Pretty much sums up the whole thing."

"No, I mean...I know he took the serum. But, instead of dying, he's alive and well, and also he gets to keep all the powers that he has taken. That's just not okay."

"Since when do we deal with things that are okay?" Tamsin rolled her eyes.

"Do you think he has my powers now?" Bo asked, beyond concerned and more than terrified. What if Zagreus had already gotten her power? He could wipe an entire town in a blink of an eye.

"I doubt it," Tamsin told her. "If he did have it, he would have sucked us all dry back there. My guess is that he'd have to take all your power to be able to use it, and by taking all your power I mean sucking you dry."

"How could someone do that? Killing all those people in that convention center just so he could take their power?"

"Well, you heard the man. He thinks that the whole world has wronged him, and now he has the only thing that he has ever wanted, the ultimate power. He simply just doesn't care. The convention center? Probably a test drive for him, and I bet his ego is ginormous right now. He probably thinks that the world in at his feet or something."

"I can't believe that he'd fall for Hades' crap like that," Bo said. Then, she trailed off and went quiet for a long time. When she finally started to sip her beer again, she murmured, "Hades...he manipulated Lauren into making that serum ten years ago. It turned out that it was for Zagreus. How long has he been planning all this? Did he plan all this before I let him out of that box?"

"It looks that way," Tamsin answered. "I knew something was going on when I heard that he was the one who helped Lauren on the serum...I thought he just wanted to crush her dream just like he would do to everyone else, you know, but I guess that was only part of it. The serum was mostly for Zagreus, because he could become the ultimate conduit who is strong enough to hold the serum..."

After a brief pause, she shrugged. "Oh well, that doesn't really change anything. We just need to deal with him as we planned."

"Yeah, except that we don't have a plan, Tamsin," Bo reminded her. "Unless you consider _we go in, we kick the shit out of him, and then we leave_ as a plan."

"That's Dagny's plan, not mine," Tamsin snorted.

Bo sighed and shook her head. "How are we gonna do this? We can't kill him with normal weapons, and now he has a super powerful conduit on his side. We have no idea where Zeus' lightning is, not a single clue. How the hell are we gonna save Kenzi? Even if we manage to get her out, we'll never be able to defeat Hades."

"Never say never," Tamsin said as she squeezed Bo's hand.

Bo sighed again. "It was all my fault. The world was safe when he was in that box, and I let him out. Shit's all on me."

"Oh please, Bo, the world has never been _safe_ ," Tamsin drawled. "And what would have happened if you hadn't let him out and put Nyx in? It's gonna be world destruction, one way or the other."

She noticed that Bo suddenly frowned, and so she asked, "what?"

"Ummm, I don't know," Bo said. "I mean, when we were at the penthouse, I accused my father of wanting world destruction. Do you remember what he said to me?"

"I don't know if I remember that part at all. What did he say? More bragging of how powerful he is?" Tamsin shrugged.

"No, he said, why would he want world destruction."

Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows as she stared into Bo's eyes. "You think he was being serious? He actually meant that?"

"I don't know, but there's really no reason for him to lie about it, right? I don't think at this point he'd still hope to convince me that he's a good person and that he's the father I've always longed for or something. I just don't know why he would say that he didn't want world destruction."

"Well, it could be that...maybe to him, letting darkness rule this world isn't exactly world destruction? Yeah, sure, this shithole that we love would no longer exist but...something else would."

"See, that's another thing I don't understand. What's with all these bad guys? First it was Garuda and now my father...Why do they all want world destruction? What could they possibly get from that?"

"I think the answer to that is: because they can," Tamsin told her.

Bo shook her head while letting out a heavy sigh. "What if...what if we can't stop him?"

"Then I guess we are all screwed. We'll probably fight till the very end and then we'll all die. I guess the only silver lining is that...no matter what happens, we won't die alone," Tamsin said. She tried to make the whole thing sound like a cheerful joke, but she knew she was being too serious the moment the words fell out of her mouth. It sounded like she was committing to Bo for life.

She cleared her throat and turned away. She could feel herself blushing now and it was too embarrassing. For some reason, Bo's touches on her skin suddenly started to burn, as if the brunette was caressing her right now.

Bo, however, seemed to have not noticed anything. She held Tamsin's hand firmly and squeezed it. "Yeah, I guess there's that," she murmured. "At least we won't die alone."

"Ugh," Tamsin said after taking a deep breath. She sank into the couch lazily and continued, "I can't believe that we still have to deal with Hades and all his crap after my death and my resuscitation."

"And I can't believe that I'm still alone," Bo murmured in a whisper.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "You are not alone, Bo," she told her as she turned to Bo. "You have-"

"-the gang?" Bo cut her off with a rather bitter voice. Knowing that she appeared to be too frustrated and defeated, she stood up and went into the kitchen to get herself some snack.

As she let go of Tamsin's hand, which she had been holding for a while, she realized how warm the Valkyrie's hand was. The heat, it danced on her skin. It lingered.

The brief silence devoured them as Bo went through all the cabinets and drawers. After having found nothing, she turned to Tamsin, confused. "Where are all your snacks? You don't do night eating anymore?"

"Well, I now have a little rugrat living with me and this rugrat would just munch anything she sees at night, so..." Tamsin explained as she jumped out from the couch and headed towards a shelf in the corner of the room.

She took a big jar off the top shelf and pulled a bag of cheetos out. Grinning at Bo, she said, "luckily I still got my secret stash, and you are not allowed to have any."

Bo gave her a nudge on her stomach in a quiet chuckle. She grabbed the bag and opened it. They both ate noisily while fighting for the biggest pieces and leaving smudges of spicy powder everywhere.

After throwing the empty bag away, Bo got herself a bottle of water too. She downed it, and then she stared at the floor in silence for a long time. "I know that I have you guys, but...I mean, I really don't, do I? Dyson and I have grown apart a long time ago. The gap between me and Lauren is just getting wider and wider every time we speak to each other. Kenzi...she left too."

"She didn't left. She moved away," Tamsin corrected her. "It wasn't your fault either."

"Doesn't matter if it was my fault or not," Bo replied. "Whether she left or moved away, she has her life now. Sooner or later, she'll return to Spain, and then…."

She stopped herself before she said anything about Kenzi being a human and in another fifty years or so she'd just leave her forever.

"Hey, the rugrat will outlive you for sure," Tamsin told Bo teasingly as she pointed at Dagny's bedroom.

"Yeah...but soon she'll grow up and leave for college or whatever. It's not-" Bo murmured while wondering what exactly it was that she was expecting, or what exactly it was that she was longing for.

It wasn't so much that she wanted a best friend, a family, or that she wanted a lover, but she knew she wanted someone to be there for her. She wanted the closeness and the connection of a lover, as well as the trust and honesty of a friend. She wanted someone that she could count on. She wanted someone who would allow her to be herself. She wanted someone who could make her feel safe and sound, someone who could fill that emptiness inside her. Someone who could complete her and be completed by her.

After taking a deep breath, she turned to Tamsin and looked into those light eyes. "And you-"

She couldn't continue, because suddenly she didn't know what she wanted to say. The thought of Tamsin leaving her was too unbearable.

She had always thought that Tamsin would stay by her side. She'd always be that annoying, bitchy, eye rolling, leather wearing, boomerang wielding, vodka drinking Valkyrie, and she'd always be there.

Now, she knew better. Tamsin _could_ leave. She was back now, but what if she would leave again? Maybe not by the hand of death, but for a new life, for someone else, and for good?

"Don't tell me that Hades got to you again," Tamsin told her with a sigh.

"Huh? No I don't think this has anything to do with him," Bo said.

"This has anything to do with him my ass, Bo," Tamsin drawled. "You listened to too much of his bullshit, that you weren't capable of love and all that kinda shit, and now you actually believe him?"

Bo licked her lips, feeling a little embarrassed now. "Maybe he was right, you know," she argued.

"Really, Bo? You don't think you are capable of love? Are you actually out of your mind?" Tamsin tilted her head to the side and stared at Bo.

"Oh I am obviously capable of love, but...maybe I am just not good at it. In fact, I think the word I am looking for is horrible," Bo said.

"Lots of people fuck up their relationship, Bo. You are not the only one. Yeah, I know, shit between Lauren and you happened. You fucked up the things with Dyson…."

"I'm not just talking about my relationships, Tamsin. I'm talking about everyone around me. I mean, Kenzi and I have grown apart already."

"You did love every one of us, Bo, and you still do," Tamsin said firmly.

"But not enough," Bo said. "There is just something that...I am not able to return. My love for the others isn't enough to make things work."

"Shit sometimes just don't work out no matter what. Maybe it's your fault. Maybe it's someone else's. Who cares at this point? This is called life, okay?" Tamsin snorted.

Bo nodded along absentmindedly while drowning in her own thoughts. After a while, she murmured, "you know, there is something that I actually considered. I thought...maybe it would work."

"What would work?" Tamsin frowned.

"Well, I thought if I-if I become a human, everything would just work out."

Tamsin choked on her water. "You didn't-" she gagged. "Were you drunk? Were you high? Or were you just simply being a moron?"

"It...it was-well back then I thought if I asked Lauren to turn me into a human, maybe things would just work out. I'd truly be an equal to her. I could leave the whole Fae bullshit behind. We'd go somewhere else, start fresh and live a happy life just like all normal, non-superheroine humans would do. Or...I could just leave here and go stay with Kenzi, you know, like two ordinary human bffs," Bo said as she clenched her fist when those old struggles came to her again.

"Don't tell me that you've tried but it didn't work."

"No, I never went that far. I just-I guess maybe I don't love them enough, you know. I don't want to change for them, not that kinda change."

"Good, cuz that would have been really, really stupid, like I want to slap the shit out of you stupid," Tamsin commented.

"I thought I've always sided with humans. I thought it was why I was drawn to Lauren, to Kenzi. I thought it was because I wanted to be like them, because I wanted to be normal, but then I realized that, I don't want to be a human at all. I know there are a lot of fucked up stuff going on in the Fae world, but I actually love being a Fae.I love being a Succubus. I just don't know if it's worth it, you know, being a Succubus and all that."

"Bo, you _are_ a Succubus, whether you like it or not," Tamsin said to her as she unconsciously brushed the back of her index finger against Bo's cheek. She didn't even realize that she was this close to Bo until she felt Bo's nervous breath on her lips. She uncomfortably swallowed, before she continued, "but you are more than a Succubus, and you know that, right?"

"I..." Bo stuttered. "I don't-"

"Sometimes you can be a real pain in the ass, because you are so fucking stubborn and you can be really stupid, but you are one of a kind," Tamsin said. She never intended to use a voice so soft, but it just happened. She was lost in Bo's eyes. That warm brown. The bright blue flickers in them. The great kindness, courage, innocence, and that bitter sadness. Something she fell so hard for.

"See...your eyes are both brown and blue," she breathed those words out as she gently rubbed her thumb under Bo's eyes.

Slowly, she let her eyes wander down, taking in every inch of Bo. She stared at Bo's chest with the solemnness of a pilgrim. It was where Bo's heart was at. It was full of passion, full of love. It was not like anything she had ever seen before. It was flawed, sure, but to her it was perfect because it was real. It was more real than anything she had ever touched, held or kissed.

"You heart," she continued, "it's both strong and gentle…."

She heard that anxious gulp from Bo. She could practically hear the sound of Bo's heart beat now. It was just as loud and nervous as her own.

"If you ever doubt yourself, go find a mirror and do that prep talk I've taught you," she told Bo after secretly clearing her throat.

"What prep talk?" Bo asked, half of her mind was wiped blank by the sincere words, and the other half solely focused on the gentle touch of Tamsin's finger on her cheek.

"The shit I taught you when we were in Brazenwood, remember? Before you kill that ugly look dude?" Tamsin reminded her.

"Then tell me again," Bo pleaded. She wasn't sure what she wanted exactly. A form of affirmation? Some firm support? Something that she could hold on to just so she wouldn't feel so down? Or maybe she just wanted to relive that moment again, where she felt fearless, invincible and confident, where she felt like a stream of flames, burn, burn, burn.

Tamsin sighed. "You are smart. You are fast. And you are hella cuter than him," she repeated the exact words to Bo, surprised that she could still remember. "And then, it's your turn to get your shit together and kick some serious ass."

"After that...it's gonna be your turn to..." Bo whispered as she leaned in and gently pressed her lips on Tamsin's.

For a second or two, there was nothing but the heat on their lips, the breath that they were desperately holding and the deafening heartbeat. The butterflies inside them danced frantically, about to burst out.

Their lips parted shortly, but their foreheads were touching. Both tried to catch their breath, and neither could.

"Tamsin..." Bo called in a whisper.

"Hmmm?"

"Stay with me," Bo pleaded.

The raw vulnerability in Bo's voice gave Tamsin a dull pain inside her chest. She gripped Bo's fingers and wrapped them inside hers. She could feel Bo's heartbeat on her fingertips, soft, fragile, shivering in a great amount of fear.

"Hey, I'm not dying, okay?" Tamsin protested softly after a few chuckles bubbled out from her throat.

Bo pinched the side of her waist. "You know what I mean."

Tamsin sighed and pulled Bo closer by putting her arm around Bo's shoulder. She hesitantly gave Bo a kiss on her hair. "Well, it's not like I have anywhere to go or anything," she said.

She never thought she'd find peace now, but she did. She found her peace right before a big battle, before everything was even figured out.

* * *

 **A/N: took me forever to write this chapter but finally it's here! I hope everyone likes these Valkubus moments!**

 **I know some of you might think that Bo seemed a bit selfish here, but I think it makes sense that she felt empty and she sought for comfort from Tamsin, because she felt comfortable enough to be a bit vulnerable in front of Tamsin. Tamsin, on the other hand, would never really mind Bo being a bit selfish in front of her. Her love for Bo aren't just lust or crush. She worships Bo in many ways because to her Bo is perfect. Of course, neither of them are perfect, but I think they are perfect for each other =p**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next morning, Tamsin woke up to the sizzling sound of hot grease in the pan and the aroma of freshly cooked food.

 _Is that omelette?_ She wondered as she opened her eyes. At first she thought that Bo must have gotten up early and decided to cook some breakfast, but when she saw Bo lying right next to her with her eyes still closed, she frowned.

 _Who the hell is cooking then?_ She asked herself as she quickly got off the bed.

Bo woke up too. She looked at Tamsin with her confused eyes, before she suddenly jolted and murmured, "Kenzi?"

Before Tamsin could answer her, she jumped off the bed and dashed out of the bedroom. However, it wasn't Kenzi who was cooking the breakfast. It was actually Dagny in the kitchen making omelettes.

Tamsin and Bo frowned hard at each other while quietly watching Dagny cooking. The young girl had already placed the fillings on top of the egg. All she needed to do now was to fold the other half of the egg to wrap the fillings inside.

She tried, and clumsily tore the egg into a few pieces. She ended up having scrambled egg with chopped vegetables and ham.

She growled with great frustration as she dumped everything into the trashcan before Tamsin and Bo could stop her.

She started to make another omelette. She looked so focused on the task that Bo leaned towards Tamsin and whispered, "should we start to worry?"

"She never makes breakfast..." she added, as if it would be more convincing.

"Don't you think I know that? The little rugrat always gets up too late in the morning and ends up grabbing whatever that's left on the table," Tamsin whispered back as she watched Dagny closely.

"So, back to my question. Should we be worried? Is there some strange stuff going on or something?" Bo asked. It was then that she met Dagny's eyes.

"You want tomatoes in yours?" Dagny asked her like a pro chef.

Bo nodded.

"Double cheese? Shrooms? Ham?" Dagny raised her eyebrows at Bo. She sounded calm, maybe a little too calm.

"S-sure," Bo nodded again, this time more hesitantly.

Dagny nodded back and resumed cooking. Her second omelette was a success. She removed the pan from the stove and tilted it at a plate. After the omelette slid into the plate, she handed it to Bo.

"Do you want some too?" She asked Tamsin.

"Ummm, yes but hold on, missy," Tamsin said as she stepped forward. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Dagny. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm..." Dagny replied as she looked down at the pan and the spatular, "...making breakfast for all of us."

"Yeah, I saw that part, obviously. I mean what is going on really?" Tamsin emphasized the word "really".

Dagny shrugged and started to beat some more eggs instead of answering Tamsin's question. While frying the eggs she chopped some tomatoes. She slammed the knife at the tomatoes like it was the head of her lifelong enemy.

"Okay, now I'm seriously worried," Bo whispered to Tamsin as she looked down at the omelette in her own plate. "And also this smells really, really good. It almost smells like-"

"-Kenzi's cooking?" Tamsin asked her.

Bo nodded as she forked a piece of it into her mouth. "Taste like it too," she slurred.

Tamsin narrowed her eyes at Dagny. "You are not trying to poison us just so you can kamikaze your way into Tartarus, are you?"

Bo stopped chewing immediately. She raised her plate and sniffed. She didn't smell anything strange. It was just the smell of perfectly cooked omelette, with herbs, vegetables, ham and cheese.

"I'm not stupid," Dagny grunted as she knocked the spatular on the side of the pan as if the pan was her father's face and she was enjoying beating at it.

"Ugh huh," Tamsin hummed. She took a piece of ham out of Bo's plate and tossed it into her mouth, before she continued, "then I'm guessing that you suddenly grew up and decided to make breakfast for all of us for no reason?"

"We gotta eat, don't we?" Dagny shrugged. "No matter what shithole we are in, when we are hungry, we eat. Mama Kenzi told me that."

She went quiet after she had said Kenzi's name. The brave, strong mask she had been wearing ever since she had gotten up this morning seemed to have cringed a little. She shook her head and continued cooking.

"I"m just..." she murmured hesitantly while unconsciously scrambling the egg into a blob of fluffy mess again. "I figure we all could use some food before we go in there and save her."

"Yeah..." Tamsin murmured as she threw her index finger at the pan, "how about less scrambled for me, and maybe less charred too?"

Dagny jerked the pan away from the stove, nearly letting it fly out of her hand and fall into the sink. She quickly dumped everything into a plate , and had to get a few pieces of blackened ham out before hesitantly handing it to Tamsin.

Tamsin took the plate and started to eat, even though it was not an omelette at all. "Listen," she said to Dagny in a half teasing half sincere tone,"I really appreciate that you didn't sneak out last night and that you made breakfast for us this morning, kiddo. I just want to know what you are thinking right now."

"Well, I'm still pissed," Dagny growled.

"Umm, I think we get that part already," Bo commented. She placed the dirty plate into the sink and grabbed herself an apple.

Dagny stood still in the kitchen. With a dirty spatular and a blackened pan, she seemed awkward and a little clueless. "It's not like I didn't want to sneak out last night," she admitted honestly, "but...I wouldn't stand a chance against him, would I?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better…" Tamsin walked over to Dagny's side and patted her shoulder gently. "If one of us here actually stand a chance against him, I think it might be you."

"I tried and I didn't-I couldn't...I told her to run! I told her to get the hell out of there! Why didn't she-how did he get to her?"

"A, that was Hades and b, it's Kenzi we are talking about. You know her, Daggs. She would never leave her family behind," Bo told her softly. "We will get her back, okay? It's just that...it's not gonna be an easy mission, so we need a very good plan."

"How are we gonna..." Dagny murmured as she started to beat eggs again. "You saw what happened at the penthouse. None of us could stop him. We couldn't even stop my half brother! He's strong and he's-he's killing people for their powers! He's gonna get more and more powerful, isn't he?"

"He probably is, and I'm not saying that we have to defeat him and Hades and save Kenzi at the same time," Bo said. "Kenzi is our top priority right now. As long as we can get her out of Tartarus safely, our family business can wait."

"What are we gonna do then? Just tell me what we need to do to get her out of there," Dagny pleaded.

"We need a plan, and our first step should be-"

"-figuring out what we know so far," Tamsin completed Bo's sentence, and Bo gave her a nod.

Tamsin threw herself into the couch, and let Dagny sit beside her. Bo sat beside her on the other side and started to count her fingers. "Right now, we know that Hades is out there in his full force with Helskor. We also know that my half brother, Zagreus, is capable of taking other people's powers. We don't know Hades' exact plan but we know it's something involving hellgate and all four of us. Sounds really fun!"

"And Zeus' lightning," Dagny reminded her.

"Yeah, Zeus' lightning, something we have no idea where it might be," Bo commented. "Hell we don't even know if it's really in our world. We don't even know what it might look like!"

"Ummm, it probably looks like lightning, you know, the bright things in the sky before a thunderstorm?" Tamsin teased and earned a nudge from Bo.

"Didn't you get zapped by it once?" She reminded Bo.

"Yeah, but...but it was just a lightning strike coming out from her hand," Bo explained. "How could she _leave_ that thing anywhere? I mean, we've always assumed that her lightning is some sort of weapon. What if it's not a weapon but the power she possesses? How the hell are we gonna be able to get a hold of that?"

"But...Nyx told us that we should look for it," Dagny said hesitantly. "Nyx was Iris. She was inside her the whole time when Iris was with Zeus and Hera. Shouldn't she be-I mean, if anyone knew anything about the lightning's whereabouts, it's gotta be her, right?"

"She's not saying that Nyx was lying," Tamsin explained to Dagny. "It's just that...we don't know how much Nyx actually knows about the lightning. Maybe the whole thing was just her guess...I don't know if we should really count on it, since we've searched every place we can possibly search and still found nothing."

"Then...why did Hades come to the penthouse looking for it?" Dagny asked, confused. "The way he said it. It was like he knew it was there for sure."

"It could be at the penthouse, or it could be at somewhere else or nowhere at all. Maybe he just took a guess like us. It was the first place you'd look for the lightning, and so he went for it. When he saw that you were there too, it confirmed that the lightning must be there," Bo explained calmly. "I guess it's a good thing, though, that he doesn't know where it is, at least for now."

"I just...why would he want the lightning at all?" Tamsin asked after quietly listened to the conversation between Bo and Dagny. "He knows that we don't have it right now. If he wants to conquer the world, it's the best chance. We won't be able to stop him anyway. Why doesn't he, though? In fact, why didn't he do it before I came back? It would have been much easier, wouldn't it?"

"He needs all four of us, and maybe...maybe for whatever reason it is, a baby Dagny is not good enough?"

"You mean, he needs all four of you to open the hellgate," Tamsin murmured. After getting a nod from Bo, she shrugged slowly. "But, you heard Evony. The hellgate holds the defeated Primordians behind it. Those are some really pissed powerful creatures, and I bet they probably want to skin Hades and his siblings alive. It doesn't make any sense for him to open the gate."

"No, it doesn't, but that's all we know so far. We know that all four of us, four Pyrippi, are related to the hellgate. I don't know what he wants with the hellgate but I'm sure it's not gonna be for world peace."

"Yeah, he need all four of you," Tamsin said, "which means if we go down to Tartarus, he will have all four of you. I don't think we should-"

She was interrupted by the ringing doorbell.

"Are you expecting someone?" Bo asked her, and Tamsin shook her head.

"Hades...he wouldn't ring the doorbell, would he?" Dagny asked in a whisper.

"With him? You never know," both Bo and Tamsin commented at the same time as they pulled out their weapons together.

Slowly, they approached the door. Bo gave Tamsin a nod, and Tamsin looked through the peephole.

She was surprised that it was a kid who was standing outside. It wasn't someone she knew, but from his school uniform she figured that he must be one of the kids from the elementary school a few blocks down the road.

She cracked the door open, and stared into the kid's nervous eyes. "Whatever that is that you are selling, we are not buying. We don't have any cash for you either, so go away."

The kid swallowed hard. Intimidated by Tamsin's attitude, he started to stutter. "I-I'm not looking for trouble, I promise," he said.

"Then why are you here?" Bo asked softly after she had hidden her dagger behind her back.

"Someone asked me to deliver something to this address," the kid told Bo.

"A delivery?" Bo frowned. She looked at Tamsin, and Tamsin gave her an "I have no fucking idea what he's talking about" shrug.

"Yeah, here," the kid took out a wooden box from his backpack and handed it to Bo. "It's...a guy told me to deliver this here." As if he wanted to make himself more convincing, he added, "he gave me twenty bucks for it."

"What guy? What does he look like?" Tamsin asked.

Maybe her tone was too harsh. Maybe the whole situation was too scary for the kid. Instead of answering her, the kid turned around and fled like he was running away from a haunted house.

Before Tamsin could grab him, he was long gone.

With a frustrated growl, Tamsin turned to Bo. Where she saw that Bo had already opened the box and was now staring at the content inside, she took a look too.

Inside the box, there was an earring. A flashy one, with fake diamonds and sapphires dangling. There were a couple of stones missing. A few strands of long, straight hair twirled around the dangling parts. They were half black, half purple.

"Kenzi..." Tamsin murmured as she stared at the earring. "It's hers, right?"

Bo nodded. "It is," she confirmed as she took out a small piece of note that was tucked under the earring.

"Next time it'll be something bloody," she read, biting back her rage and her fear.

"Now we know who sent this," Tamsin growled. "Fucking-"

"I guess my family business can wait, but Kenzi can't," Bo said. "We have to get her out of there asap."

They returned inside with heavy hearts. Tamsin briefly told Dagny what the delivery was about.

As Dagny saw the note and the earring, furious flames shot out from her eyes, turning them burning red.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Tamsin told her as she grabbed her wrist. "The last thing we need right now is you switching to crazy bitch mode, okay?"

Dagny nodded as she took a few deep breaths. She stopped herself from turning into her true form, though her eyes remained red.

"Okay, we really need a plan, like right now," Bo said. She didn't wait for the other two women's reply, and continued, "it's possible that we just sneak in, avoid all fights and get her out, right?"

"Yeah, good idea. You know what's also possible? Getting hit by the lightning seven times right now," Tamsin commented.

"Hey, the lightning," Dagny murmured. When the other two women turned to her, she waved her hands frantically in the air and stood up. "Hades wants the lightning, right? He thinks that we know where it is, right?"

"Except that we don't know," Bo reminded. "Daggs, if I had it, I'd be more than happy to trade it for Kenzi if that's what it takes to get her back, but we don't have the lightning, nor do we know where it is."

"Yeah, but Hades doesn't know that," Dagny murmured. "He doesn't know that…."

"What is it that's on your weird little mind right now, hmmm?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows at her daughter.

"What if we-what if we make a fake lightning and give it to Hades instead? You know, like pretend that we have one?"

Tamsin stared at Dagny. "Are you serious?"

Dagny nodded, desperately seeking for support from her own mother.

Tamsin groaned loudly. "That might be the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard!" She growled. "How are we gonna fool Hades with a fake lightning? He is the brother of Zeus, and I'm sure he's seen the real shit for many, many times! He's not gonna buy it! Besides, how are we gonna-"

Bo grabbed her hand and cut her off. "Hey, Tamsin, you know, that might be something worth discussing."

Tamsin turned to Bo, her eyes shot wide open. "You are agreeing with her?"

"Well I didn't say that it's a perfect idea, but...if we play it right..." Bo murmured. "Hades might actually buy it. Besides, we don't have to fool him for long. We just need enough time to grab Kenzi and run."

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! We make him believe that we have the lightning and ask for an exchange. When his attention is drawn to the lightning, we make our moves. It's like the best chance for a hostage to escape is during the hostage transfer!"

"You watch too many TV shows, and your plan would only work on TV," Tamsin commented. "Hades is not stupid. He's fucking smart, and cunning, and-"

"-arrogant," Bo said. "Arrogancy is like his middle name. He thinks that he knows all. He thinks that he has everything planned out. He thinks that he's in control. He thinks that he knows me. He knows that I'd do anything for Kenzi. It makes sense, at least to him, that I am willing to give up the lightning for Kenzi."

"It's not-" Tamsin sighed. "Even if I agree to this crazy, stupid plan, how are we gonna make a fake lightning that looks real enough to fool him, hmm?

"Something like a plasma globe maybe?" Dagny suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea, if Hades is still in 3rd grade!" Tamsin snorted.

"Tamsin," Bo drawled and nudged the Valkyrie. "A little encouragement would be nice."

"What?! You are gonna vote yes for the plasma shit too?" Tamsin exclaimed as she shot a cold stare at Bo.

"No, but I was thinking...something that looks similar, like...some container with a few lightning arcs inside."

"I don't think you can put Zeus' lightning in a bottle. Hades knows that too. The moment he sees it, he'll know it's fake," Tamsin said.

"Well, in the stone age, when Zeus and her siblings were still being worshiped as Gods, maybe no one would believe that we could put her lightning in a bottle, just like no one would believe the existence of cell phones or rockets," Bo said. "We just need to be convincing, making it look like it's some cutting edge tech or something. It might actually make sense to him, you know, that we've found a way to safely handle something powerful like that."

Tamsin closed her eyes and rubbed her pulsing temples. After sucking in some air through her clenched teeth, she murmured, "a fake lightning that looks like a plasma ball, that's the best plan we've got?"

"Well..." Bo nodded. "It looks that way, Tamsin. Come on, we've got works to do."

* * *

After a long conversation with some middle man on the phone, Bo hung up and turned to Tamsin.

The Valkyrie was sitting on the couch, with her cell phone in her hand and a liquor bottle by her side.

"Hey," Bo said softly as she sat down beside Tamsin.

"Hey yourself," Tamsin murmured, which sounded more like a grunt.

"What's wrong?" Bo asked.

"Nothing," Tamsin replied simply while staring at her phone even though she had no new notifications.

"Tamsin," Bo called her name as she gently held Tamsin's empty hand. She rubbed her thumb on the back of Tamsin's hand until the Valkyrie finally turned to look at her. "Why were you so against the plan?"

"Oh, you mean, the plan where first we have to make a fake lightning that looks real, and then we have to use that to convince Hades that it's the real deal so he needs to release Kenzi? Yeah, I think any person, I mean, any person with a brain anyway, would be against it."

Bo let out a quiet chuckle. "It's...a bold plan for sure," she said, "but I think if we play it right, it will work. We just need to be convincing. Plus, it's not like we have any other plans anyway. We need to do something now."

"Yeah, that's the part where I-" Tamsin whispered. She cut herself off before she finished her sentence, and she replaced the rest of her words with silence.

"What's wrong?" Bo asked, concerned.

"It's-" Tamsin muttered. She eventually let out a deep breath, giving in to Bo's gentle look. "I don't know if it's the right move for us to go down there right now."

"Kenzi needs us. She can't wait."

"I know, and I'm not saying that we shouldn't go. It's just...we both know what Hades really wants, Bo. It's you, and Dagny."

She hesitantly squeezed Bo's warm fingers, and closely her eyes. It cost all her strength for her to eventually say, "I don't want to lose Dagny, Bo. And I certainly don't want to lose you. I know that Kenzi can't wait, but what if we play right into Hades' hand again? That bastard-he knows that we are desperate, and that we will do everything to save Kenzi. He knows that."

"I know," Bo said, her voice heavy, "but we have to. We'll have to face him one day sooner or later. With all four of us in Tartarus for the first time, maybe he'll be careless enough to reveal some of his plans, you know."

"And how are we gonna stop him if anything happens down there, hmmm?" Tamsin asked as she looked into Bo's determined eyes. The thought of losing Bo was too overwhelming for her to bear. She placed her hand on Bo's cheek, and slowly traced her thumb down along Bo's cheek bone. As she was doing that, her eyes followed the tip of her thumb.

She knew during moment like this, when she had to make a decision, being weak and emotional is the least helpful, but it was impossible for her to stay calm.

"I just..." she whispered as she leaned in. Instead of kissing Bo, she just pressed her forehead against Bo's and closed her eyes, as if that was the only way to confirm that Bo was still here and that she was still real.

"I don't want to lose you either, Tamsin. I've lost you before, and it wasn't pleasant," Bo told her softly and took her into her embrace. "Have a little faith in me, and in Dagny, okay? The last thing either of us would do, is to side with Hades."

"He has a millions ways to make you," Tamsin reminded her.

"I won't let him this time," Bo assured her. She rubbed Tamsin's shoulder for a while, before she continued, "we just need to get a bunch of things ready for our plan."

Tamsin took a deep breath and pulled back a little. She held Bo's hand in hers and squeezed it. "So, made any progress on your side?"

"Well, I've talked to Lauren and Evony-"

"Evony's still alive?"

"She seems to have gotten a little better for the past couple of days," Bo shrugged. "Anyway, I've talked to a bunch of people, and they hooked me up with someone who might be able to make something like that. It would look like a few mini lightning arcs inside some weird looking bottle. It can zap people too, just-"

"-far from Zeus zap?"

"Yeah, there's no way we can make something as powerful as her lightning...we'll have to go with what we can get."

"I...ummm, I talked to Acacia. She said that she'd deliver a message to Freyja and Stacey, telling them to spread the rumor in Tartarus where the blue eyed Succubus has found Zeus' lightning."

"I told the same thing to Kenzi's cousins too, and Vex's sketchy friends. The rumor of the Bloodking's granddaughter is looking for something that can neutralize Zeus' lightning and make it portable will appear soon...where is Dagny?"

"In her room, sharpening her weapons," Tamsin replied with a slight eye roll while air quoting the word "weapons".

Bo chuckled while shaking her head. She went silent for a while while unconsciously rubbing the side of Tamsin's hand with her thumb.

"Everything's gonna be fine if we stay together," she murmured. It was for Tamsin, and herself. "No one's gonna die this time."

"I'm not afraid of death, Bo," Tamsin said. "I've died twice since I met you, and I should have died a long, long time ago. It's not about the death-"

"-but about what you'll lose once you are dead," Bo said in a whisper. "I know."

"I just have a bad feeling about this," Tamsin said honestly. She indeed have a bad feeling. It was tingling inside her stomach. It was crawling along her spine. Something was gonna go wrong for sure.

"I fear that...we won't be able to save Kenzi," she continued, "and Hades is finally gonna have his chance this time."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Bo said.

Tamsin nodded with a heavy heart. When Bo pulled her close and placed a gentle kiss on her hair, she closed her eyes and sighed.

At least she had this moment. She thought. At least she had now.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, it took me forever to write this chapter, but it's finally here! It looks like they are going back to Tartarus, and it's pretty much a guaranteed trap, right? I'm kinda excited for the next few chapters because there will probably be quite a few "wtf just happened" moments...**

 **I am also working on a new Valkubus fic...It's the space fic I've talked about a while back. I will most likely start to post it once Wake Me Up is done. I also have a Valkubus college fic idea (not the usual type of college fic), which I have no time to write. Guess they'll keep me occupied for a while!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Tamsin struggled to stand up. She had to first put all her weight on her sword. Using it to prop herself, she dragged one leg forward and shifted her weight on her knee. Then, she dragged the other leg over before she straightened herself.

Her head was ringing, like she had banged it into something hard. Well, actually, it was something hard that had banged into her head. She got hit by someone's big club and it almost knocked her out instantly.

She told herself that she was lucky enough because there weren't spikes on the club. However, she wished that she could see better in the dark, because then at least she could see who was hitting her, what they looked like and how many of them were there.

There was an army around her. That was the only thing she knew.

She coughed some blood out and spat it into the ground. The rusty taste made her feel like it was her old times again, when she had been taking lives in the battlefield, while caring nothing and being attached to no one.

She wiped her nose with her left arm careless. She could feel the warm, sticky fluid on her skin. She knew that was her blood gushing out from her nose.

She swallowed hard, biting her painful groans back while raising her sword.

She slashed it at a shadow that was moving towards her. With a loud bang, it clashed into a heavy weapon, and she was forced back.

She tumbled a little, before she rebalanced herself. The darkness seemed to have been putting weight on her arms and legs. The endless fight where she killed one and ten more would jump out made it harder and harder for her to focus.

 _Fuck. Did I really get this rusty?_ She thought as she raised her sore arm. It felt like something made of lead and it was giving her nothing but pain.

Through the darkness she could see that dim crimson glow far, far away. She knew it was Dagny's weapon, and she wanted to get to her side more than anything. However, with unknown number of enemies in between, she couldn't push forward.

She bit back her groans and grunts as she thrust her sword forward. She pierced through something, or someone, and she used every bit of her strength that was left in her to push that person away.

She heard the enemy shuffling in front of her, and she figured that whoever she had stabbed probably had fallen and forced other back.

She had no time to confirm it, though. She dashed forward, launching herself into the air before anyone could grab her. She kept moving towards that dim, crimson glow as fast as she could, until a sudden, heavy punch in her chin knocked her down.

She landed hard on the ground. For a second, she thought she had for sure broken her back. The wet, cold ground made her shudder.

She got on her hands and knees and started to move towards Dagny again. She knew she was crawling, scrambling and fumbling all over the place. She must look really stupid and embarrassing right now, but this wasn't the time for being a pretty warrior. It was about surviving. It was about regrouping. It was about making her way through the hoard of enemies and getting closer to Bo and Dagny before getting mauled to death.

It was then that she realized that she could no longer see that crimson glow. It was as if the darkness had absorbed it completely. It was as if this hellhole had devoured the beautiful, fearless light.

"Bo! Dagny! Where are you?!" She yelled after slitting an enemy's throat. Her voice was shaking. It was filled with fear.

No one answered her. All she could heard were the howlings, the growlings and the grunts from the enemies.

She tried to remember if Bo was with Dagny before they got separated by the enemy army. She couldn't even remember how they had been separated. They had been sticking close to each other and watching each other's back, until suddenly she found herself completely surrounded by enemies.

Where the hell were they anyway? Tamsin wondered as she searched for that crimson glow from Dagny, or even the bright blue of Bo's eyes. She could see neither, though.

She sensed no presence of them, and that made her panic.

With her heart desperately slamming against her chest, she called their names again. No one answered her but the howling monsters.

 **\- Earlier That Day -**

"Are we ready?" Tamsin asked the other two women after she checked her backpack and her equipped weapon for one last time.

"You've asked us for a hundred times, mom," Dagny reminded her. "We are ready. Let's go get Mama Kenzi and kick my father's sorry ass."

"Let's not get ourselves too far on the kicking ass part right now," Bo said. She wanted to comment on how much Dagny sounded like Tamsin now, but she decided maybe it was something she should joke about later. "We...ummm, our priority is to get Kenzi out of Tartarus, okay? It would be great if we can kick his ass, but let's not count on that today, okay?"

Dagny sighed and nodded. She took a few deep breaths to calm down her anxious heart. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah...I guess so," Bo replied as she looked around in the shack again. It felt weird that Kenzi wasn't here, and she sighed.

"We'll get her out," Tamsin told her as she laid a hand on Bo's shoulder. She gently squeezed and Bo smiled back while placing her hand on Tamsin's.

They checked everything that they had packed again, and then they were about to leave. Before Tamsin opened the door though, Dagny let out an embarrassed groan.

When the other two women turned to her, she murmured, "I...I kinda need to use the bathroom again."

Tamsin rolled her eyes and threw her hand at the bathroom. "Well, go."

The young girl rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. Both Bo and Tamsin shook their heads in chuckles.

Then, they turned to the other person, and gave each other a slight nod.

Bo reached her hand out and held Tamsin's hand tightly, before she pulled her hand close to her chest and held it there. "We ummm...we can do this," she said, though her tone was completely hesitant and weak.

Tamsin snorted. "Just don't throw yourself into any danger the moment you see it, okay?" She drawled.

Bo hesitantly nodded with a chuckle. She looked into Tamsin's eyes, and she was once again overwhelmed by how much Tamsin cared for her. It was as if her well-being was the only thing that was important to the Valkyrie. It made her heart ache.

Slowly, she leaned and pressed her lips on Tamsin's. It wasn't about lust or her burning desires. It wasn't even about the emotions rolling inside her either.

The kiss was more of a promise, or an agreement that they'd always look out for each other, keep each other safe and they'd always be there for the other person.

It was a commitment she had never thought she'd be ready to make. It was not just about the relationship between them, or the feelings that she was still trying to sort out. It wasn't about any single thing really. It was about Tamsin and her.

She could not lose Tamsin again. She could not watch her turn into a sheen of light and disappear again. She could not bear the pain where the only thing that Tamsin had left for her was a damn feather. She needed Tamsin in her life, more than she needed anyone.

She gently nibbled those soft lips, until she could no longer handle that sweetness and all the roaring emotions inside her. She pulled back a little and inhaled hard while wrapping her arms loosely around Tamsin's waist.

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Tamsin's, before she let out a soft sigh.

For the first time in her life, she suddenly felt complete. For the first time in her entire life, she suddenly figured out what exactly she wanted. And not just that, she also figured out where those things were.

They were right in front of her. They were right here in her arms. And she no longer felt hollow inside.

It felt strange that she no longer felt hollow inside, because ever since she remembered that hollow hole had always been with her. A part of her had always wanted something. She had always longed for something, ached for something. She'd wake up at night and stare at the ceiling while listening to that internal scream of hers. She'd suddenly tune out among a loud crowd because nothing could fill that hole. Even if she was happy and laughing, she'd still feel that emptiness, that void. It was there, and she had no idea how to make it go away.

She had thought that all she needed was love. She had thought if she was in a relationship with someone she loved, she'd no longer feel that way. But no, that wasn't enough. The love she had felt before, the love she had given before, the love that she had thought would last, was not enough. It was part of the solution that she had been searching for, but it wasn't all of it.

It wasn't that the love she had experienced had not been beautiful. It wasn't that it had not been passionate. It wasn't that it had not comforted her, or made her feel safe. It was just not enough. There was something that was essential to her was just not there.

That hollow hole inside her, it had never stopped screaming until now. She didn't even know what exactly she was looking for until now.

This, the connection between her and Tamsin, was something brand new to her. It might not be perfect, or the brightest, or the hottest, but it embraced her the way that no one else had ever been able to.

Tamsin _knew_ her, just like she knew Tamsin, just like she knew herself. Tamsin understood her. She understood her nature, her struggles, her desires, and everything of her.

And more importantly, she accepted her as-is. She never wanted her to change, or to be "a better person". To Tamsin, she was already perfect.

Perfect. Bo had never thought a single word would make her heart flutter this hard. She had never thought being perfect in someone's eyes would make her this happy. For the first time in her life, she was no longer flawed. She was no longer "not good enough". Her dark side, as much as she was still aware of it, could no longer scare her. She bore no secrets, since there was no reason to. She hid nothing from Tamsin, since there was nothing needed to be hidden.

She felt complete. It was something impossible for her to put in words, because it was beyond complicated and it was beyond her, but it was there, in those fragile heartbeats, in those soft whispers, in those warm touches. It was there, and it was hers. She was free.

Bo sighed again and moved one hand up to cup Tamsin's face. "We can do this," she repeated, and this time her voice was firm.

She was given strength. She was made brave. She was made to believe that she was capable, that she deserved the things she wanted, and that she could actually have all the things that she longed for. Tamsin gave her that. She believed in her.

"We can do this," she murmured for the third time while gently brushing her thumb on Tamsin's cheek.

"Yeah...I certainly hope so," Tamsin replied as she wrapped her fingers around Bo's hand. She leaned in and gave Bo a kiss, first on her forehead, then on her lips.

She felt that she had a lot of things that she wanted to say, but at the same time, she didn't need to say anything. Whatever she wanted to say, Bo had heard it already.

A little clueless and filled with emotions they could hardly explain, Tamsin and Bo just stood there while holding each other, until they heard Dagny's loud cough.

"I'm...ready," the young girl announced. She moved her eyes away the moment Bo and Tamsin turned to her. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah..." Tamsin nodded as she gave Dagny a smile. Then, she headed out first.

They got into Tamsin's truck and headed to Valhalla. One the way, Bo suggested, "let's go through our plan one last time, shall we?"

"Sure," Tamsin simply replied.

"So, we are going to Valhalla, and there we'll take the elevator down all the way to the bottom level," Dagny said. "Then...we go into Tartarus."

"Yeah, then there comes the hard part, finding Kenzi and getting her out of there," Bo said. "The best case scenario would be that we find her without alerting Hades and bring her back before he catches any of us."

"Don't count on that. It's not gonna happen," Tamsin reminded her.

Bo let out a heavy sigh, before she reached her hand into her jacket pocket and took out a small bottle.

The cylindrical bottle was made of glass, and it was sealed with a cork made from wood and rubber. Inside the bottle, there was a bright lightning strike. It would change its shape and length constantly, as if it was angry of being caged.

"If we have to face Hades in person, we'll give this to him and trade for Kenzi."

"I think it would be a miracle if he actually believes that this is Zeus' lightning," Tamsin commented as she glanced at the bottle. "It's just…."

The words she was looking for was "ridiculous", "unbelievable" and "dead stupid", but then she reminded herself that this plan was actually the only plan that they could come up with.

"He doesn't have to believe it for too long," Bo explained. "All we need is five minutes, and we can grab Kenzi and get the hell out of there."

"Five minutes won't really give us much of a head start," Tamsin reminded her. "And remember, when Hades found out about the fake lightning, he's gonna be pissed. Also, don't forget about your half brother who now has god knows how many Fae powers inside him."

"Well, as I said before, we need that pair of Helskor," Bo said. "As long as Kenzi has them, she'll be fine."

"And our plan to get that pair of damn shoes is that the little rodent there-" Tamsin threw her thumb out at Dagny, "-confronting Hades and claiming that he was not powerful enough and that was why he needed the shoes. Yeah, right, that'll work like a charm…."

"We can't trash our own plans, mom," Dagny argued. "It's not like we have other choices anyway."

"And if it doesn't work, we'll improvise," Bo said. "It has to work…."

A heavy sigh was all Tamsin could give her.

 **\- Current Time -**

Tamsin got up on her knees again. She had lot count on how many times she had been knocked down into the ground.

The pain numbed her. She couldn't tell if she was hurt or she was simply worn out. She couldn't even tell if she was actually holding her sword.

She had lost track of time too. She couldn't remember how long it had been since they first encountered the army down in Tartarus.

At first it was like what they had planned. They got into the elevator. They descended to Tartarus and they entered the darkness down here.

It was stairs after stairs, tunnels after tunnels and one empty room after another. Then, suddenly, enemies appeared and the three of them were caught off guard and lost their flashlights when the battle started.

In the beginning it was only a few of them, but they kept coming, one wave after another. It was as if there was a place that was spawning them non-stop.

The enemies got tougher and tougher too. And it was too dark down here to see their faces. They just looked like a bunch of shadows with weapons and their only goal was to kill all three of them.

 _Are they Tartarus dwellers?_ Tamsin wondered while fending herself in reflex. _Since when do Tartarus dwellers get this strong? Maybe they are some super army that Hades has created. Why won't they fucking die?_

She called Bo and Dagny's name again, and she heard no answer. For a second she thought she heard Dagny's weak voice coming from afar, but as she listened, she realized that it was just the cold, whispering breeze.

Something heavy hit her stomach. She nearly poured all content out. She fell back, staggering while holding up her shield.

Another heavy blow hit her shield, knocking it out of her hand. She tripped and fell again.

She was beyond exhausted. The darkness, the wind and everything around her, they seemed to have slowly sucked her stamina out and drained her dry.

She tried to stand up, but she couldn't. She couldn't even roll over. Her body refused to listen to her.

She felt heavy, so heavy that she just wanted to close her eyes and stop fighting back.

She felt that Death was near. It was a familiar feeling, where that coldness would wrap around her and take all her hopes away.

She could practically smell the rotten shroud of Death. She could hear his shackles being dragged behind him.

With the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dim flash. A reflection on a sharp blade. She raised the only thing that was left in her hand - a broken, dull sword.

She took that blow the hard way. Her sword got knocked out of her hand and tossed away from her. The impact almost fractured her arm. She heard the enemy falling back while mumbling something that she couldn't understand.

She knew it was only a matter of time before they would finally finished her. She got no weapons in her hand. She got no back up. She got no plans. She could barely move.

She called Bo and Dagny's name for one last time with her hoarse, weak voice. She knew she was about to die. She wasn't ready to give up that flicker of hope inside her heart. She still wanted to live, but she knew it was no longer up to her.

She closed her eyes in reflex, waiting for that last strike. She waited for that heavy blow on her stomach, a painful stab right in her chest, maybe a slash in her neck, or something that would crack her skull.

However, nothing happened. She felt nothing, and she heard nothing either. It was as if all the enemies that had surrounded her suddenly disappeared, or that she was slowly losing her senses.

 _Oh great_. She thought. _I guess this is it then. I'm gonna die._

She waited for her mind to get fuzzy and then black out completely. She waited for that last moment to come.

She had cheated Death twice, and what was that old saying again? Third time's the charm...that would work for Death too, right?

It took her a long time to realize that she wasn't losing her senses, nor was she dying. She couldn't hear anything because there was nothing to hear. She couldn't see anything because it was all pitch dark.

She knew that because she smelled the fog. She could barely see it but she could feel it. The thick fog embraced her, as if it was protecting her.

She figured that it must be Nyx and she let out a deep breath. A task simple as that hurt her chest.

She panted, inhaling the fog while wondering how many broken ribs did she have right now. She pulled herself into a sitting position. She didn't know if it was the movement, or the fog, but it seemed that her pain was eased a little bit.

It was dead silence everywhere, as if she was the only person that had left in the entire world.

She kept panting while sitting there like a worn out dog. Then, she fumbled through the ground until she found a weapon and a shield. It was a just a plain short sword and a small heater, and she could barely hold them still.

She swallowed the blood that was in the back of her nose, before she tore off a piece of cloth from her shirt with her teeth and her hand. That was easy, because her shirt had already been shredded anyway.

She tied the heater to her left arm, and then she tied the sword to her belt. It took her forever to stand up, but she eventually managed to do it.

She stepped forward. Every step she took, she felt that every bone inside her was about to fall out or break, but she kept going. She kept dragging her sore legs over the cold, rough ground, one step after another.

She had to find Bo and Dagny. That was the only thing on her mind right now.

She limped through piles of dead bodies, and she checked every single one of them by touching their faces in the darkness to make sure that neither Bo nor Dagny was among them.

They weren't, and that relieved her more than anything.

Eventually she found her backpack in a corner, which she had lost in the middle of the fight. Luckily everything that she had packed inside was still intact.

She took out the back up flashlight first and turned it on. The warm, bright light soothed her more than anything.

She dumped anything that she wouldn't need immediately, and put them between two rocks. She took out a piece of chalk and marked the location, before she put her bag on her back.

It took her forever to do that, because her arms refused to bend. Then, she looked around with the flashlight in her hand.

She saw nothing, though. The enemies seemed to have vanished all of a sudden. There was nothing but blood, dead bodies and abandoned weapons left on the ground.

She wondered if Bo and Dagny had escaped, or if they were captured. Either way, she had to find them, but where had they gone?

She sat down, and sprawled on the ground. Closing her eyes in despair, she turned off the flashlight.

The darkness enveloped her. The smell of fog made her feel a little safe. She felt nothing. She felt clueless. She didn't know where to go.

She lay there for a while, before she got a bottle of water out of her backpack and gulped it. She stood up again, while trying to figure out what she should do next.

She should go find Bo, or Dagny, for sure, but how? She didn't even know where she was at right now. The army chased them down and she had no idea how deep in Tartarus she was in.

She figured that she must be below the level where Bo and her had found Dagny a while back, but how many level down below?

She didn't even know that Tartarus had this many levels. When she had been delivering souls, she always put them in those empty rooms on the first or second level. She had never known that Tartarus was sort of bottomless.

That thought somehow scared her, being at the bottom of Hell while there might not be a bottom to this darkness.

She shook her head slightly and forced herself to come up with a plan to find Bo and Dagny.

 _Gotta know where I am right now, or at least where I should go_. She told herself. _Maybe I should take a short rest and then look around first?_

She inhaled some chocolate bars, and tucked herself into a concave corner formed by a few pieces of large rocks. She curled up and closed her eyes. She almost instantly fell asleep.

She only napped for no more than thirty minutes, but it seemed to have healed her more than she thought it would. At least now she could hold the sword in her hand firmly.

Using the chalk, she drew a mark on one of the rocks nearby to mark the location. Then, she turned left and started to look for anything that would help her.

After hitting a few dead ends, she circled back to the concave she had rested in again. She took another route this time, heading down to the right.

She walked, walked and walked, until she suddenly noticed that the ground under her feet was no longer rocky surface but instead paved.

There seemed to be a long, narrow path in front of her. After hesitantly for a few seconds, Tamsin headed down the path. The heavy sound of herself dragging her legs over the tiles made her sigh.

She eventually arrived in front of a building. It seemed like a huge house, or a hall. There was a nameplate on the door, but it was illegible.

The door wasn't locked and she peaked inside. It was a huge, empty room, with shower heads lining up on both sides of walls.

 _A shower room? Down in Tartarus?_ She frowned, a bit confused.

She chose to enter the room since it seemed to be the only way to go. She shuddered once she stepped inside. She could feel the remaining energy of the souls that had been in there. The anguish, the suffer and the endless sorrow chilled her spine. She knew that whoever had been inside the shower room, must have been tortured to the point where they just cease to exist.

Out of curiosity, she turned one of the shower knobs. Instead of water, streams of flames shot out from the shower head next to her.

She immediately turned it off before she got burnt. _Okay, not the kind of shower room that I would want to be in. Noted_.

She walked through the room carefully. Luckily there was nothing else dangerous in there.

She found the exit just when she thought she'd be trapped in the place forever. As she walked out, the door behind her immediately closed on its own, and it almost made her heart stop.

She found another nameplate hanging outside the door, identical to the one she had seen on the other side. She leaned in and pointed her flashlight at the writings on it.

 _Phlegethon?_ She read, and then she paused. _This is Phlegethon? No wonder the shower heads shoot flames out instead of water…._

Phlegethon, a river of flames inside Tartarus that would flow into the very bottom of the hell. It was one of the things she had heard about before but always thought that it didn't really existed because no Valkyries had gone this far in Tartarus. She thought it was a river, but it turned out to be a shower room instead.

 _Then I guess it is not flowing to the bottom of Tartarus. Probably just a stop before I reach the bottom?_ She thought as she headed forward. _Shower room or not, if the legend is real, and if this shit does lead to the bottom of this hellhole, maybe I'm heading towards the right direction? Evony did say that the hellgate was way down below, like the very bottom of Tartarus. If the asshole wants something to do with it, I need to go there too._

She kept walking while taking short breaks along the way to restore her energy. The journey seemed endless, with rows of abandoned buildings beside her. She saw dark gardens where the dirt seemed to have been completely scorched. She saw rows of prison cells that she had no intention go anywhere near.

Then there were long, winding staircases, one after another. She had nothing to accompany her but the darkness and the freezing gust.

She eventually entered another hall, where there was a front desk. The place looked like an old hotel that had been forgotten and left behind forever.

She didn't see a single person anywhere, no matter it was someone alive or dead. She couldn't even feel the presence of a single soul.

She walk down the hallway. There were paintings hanging on the wall beside her, and they only had rotten frames left. Some weird, hideous looking critters coiled around the wood. When they saw the light from Tamsin's flashlight, they let out the most unpleasant cry before they quickly went hiding.

Tamsin looked through the rooms, thinking maybe she'd find something helpful or a clue of where she should go next. The rooms were all empty, though. They didn't even have furniture in them. Instead they all had a bunch of trash inside.

 _Or it could be the rotten furniture, who knows?_ Tamsin thought as she headed downstairs.

The moment she took a turn at the bottom of the staircase, she thought she saw a dim light coming from the end of the hallway to her left.

She squinted her eyes shut and turned off her flashlight. Then, she opened her eyes and looked down the hallway.

There was a dim light at the end, and it wasn't her seeing things for having been in the dark for too long.

The light made her feel safe but immediately it had turned into doubt. Why would there be a light deep down here? Who was inside? Was this a trap of some kind?

She held up her sword and raised her heater as she tiptoed towards the light. As she got closer and closer, she eventually realized that it was a crack opened door that let some light leak through. The light, it was soft and it was fluttering. Sometimes it would get brighter all of a sudden, then it would dim down as if it was about to go out.

Tamsin knew that it must be a burning candle, but that finding didn't answer any of her questions, nor did it make her feel any less concerned. As she had gotten close enough, she pressed her shoulder against the wall, and inched forward to the crack in stealth.

She eventually arrived at the door. After making sure that there was no one ambushing her there, she took a peek through the crack.

Someone was inside the room, tied up in the corner. There was a burning candle on the floor, and it looked like it was about to go out at anytime.

On glance at the person's face, Tamsin's eyes shot wide open. She was so shocked that she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to keep quiet in the enemy's territory.

She flung the door open and jumped inside. "Kenzi?!" She exclaimed.

Kenzi jolted at Tamsin's voice. She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Tamsin. She was just as shocked, if not more.

She stared at Tamsin's face for a long time, and then she immediately looked down at the charm she was wearing on her wrist. After making sure that it wasn't glowing blue, she stuttered, "T-Tam-Tams? Is that really you?!"

* * *

 **A/N: so Tamsin finally found Kenzi (by accident), but whoops Bo and Dagny weren't with her. Will explain where Bo and Dagny had gone to, what happened to Kenzi and maybe reveal part of Hades' master plan. Probably lots of fighting scenes coming ahead.**

 **There are only gonna be a few chapter left in this fic (maybe 2-3) since most things have been sorted out and there are only a few loose ends that I need to tie up before writing the finale. I will try to update as often as I can.**

 **Once I finished this fic, I'll probably mainly focus writing the space AU series.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Tamsin and Kenzi stared at each other in silence for a moment, for both of them were quite surprised that they would see the other person here.

The candle fluttered again, and that somehow scared Kenzi. "No no no no no..." she cringed and curled up wit her eyes closed, like the fluttering flame was the most scary thing in the world.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. You are safe. You are fine," Tamsin told her and patted her back. She shielded the candle from the cold breeze that came through the opened door. Then, she untied Kenzi.

"You are the real Tam-tam, right? I am not seeing things, am I?" Kenzi mumbled while tapping her cheeks with her hands repeatedly.

"I am, but don't call me that," Tamsin hissed as she quickly examined Kenzi for any major injuries. She sighed with a relief after she had found none.

"How...how did you find me? Why are you here anyway? Did you-did that a-hole kidnapped you too?! I swear I am so gonna-"

"No, we came down here looking for you," Tamsin explained. "As for how I found you, I guess it was just dumb luck."

"Wait, _we_? Did the whole gang come down looking for me or something?" Kenzi asked as she had her eyes wide open.

"No, not the whole gang, just Bo, Dagny and me," Tamsin replied.

"Dagny's here too? Where is she? Where is Bo? Are they okay? Where are they? Are they captured?" Kenzi fired her question at Tamsin.

"I'm sure they are alright. Let's just get you out of here first, okay?"

"Why aren't they with you? Where are they?" Kenzi asked again.

Tamsin sighed. "After we came down here, we got into a fight with a huge herd of whatevers. We were caught off guard, and it was too dark. I kind of...lost them," she explained to Kenzi, "but don't worry, I'm sure they are okay."

"Well get me up and let's go find them before the a-hole grabs them then," Kenzi suggested and stood up. She almost immediately collapses since she couldn't feel her legs. Tamsin caught her before she hit the floor.

While waiting for the pins and needles to go away, she looked around in reflex until she narrowed her eyes at Tamsin.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "I know. I know. I probably got a black eye and a bloody nose, like someone has punched me in the face multiple time or whatever. It's no biggy, okay?"

"Tamsin," Kenzi murmured as she raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Tamsin frowned. She noticed that Kenzi wasn't looking at her face but her shirt, so she lowered her head and looked at it herself. "I know, it's like a rag now. Not really my fault. There were too many Tartarus fuckers."

"No, that was not what I was gonna say," Kenzi said. She pointed at Tamsin's shirt and asked with a serious voice, "why are you wearing Bo's shirt?"

Tamsin choked. She looked at her shirt again, and realized that she probably had picked up Bo's shirt after letting her feed earlier. "I probably grabbed the wrong one from the dryer or something," she said.

"Ugh huh, since when do you wash your clothes at our place?" Kenzi crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Tamsin ran out of lies, so she just stood there while looking away from Kenzi. Her ears were burning now, and she felt quite stupid.

"You did it, didn't you? You slept with her," Kenzi bit the words out as she jabbed Tamsin's chest with her index finger. Then she let out a heavy sigh and threw her hands into the air.

"So? It was just...she needed to feed, okay? I let her because we need to come down here to save your ass," Tamsin argued.

"Right, of all the Fae in the damn town, it just had to be you?" Kenzi said as she gave Tamsin a punch on her shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you two?! Why do you have to put yourselves through that pain again?! Do you not remember what it was like last time you two slept together?"

Tamsin sighed. "It wasn't-we were just...look, I came down here to rescue you, not to talk about my personal life with you. Can we at least get out of here first?"

"Tamsin, I'd rather stay in this hell hole for the rest of my life than go through all that shit with you two again! I don't want to see you crying in my bed all night long, Tamsin. And I certainly don't want to see that look on Bo'a face like she had done something so wrong that she just wanted to kill herself or something."

"That's not gonna happen again, okay? Bo and I are both adults. We can handle things," Tamsin growled as she held Kenzi by her arm. "Can we go now, please?"

Kenzi snorted. "Fine," she said as she pointed her index finger at Tamsin, "but we are not done."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's go," Tamsin urged.

Kenzi followed her to the door. Before she walked out, though, she gasped and turned around to pick up the candle on the floor.

Tamsin frowned at her. "What's with the candle? Why do you have a candle here anyway?"

"The chick who threw me in here gave it to me. She said that I better not to let the candle go out," Kenzi explained as she carefully protected the burning flame with her left hand.

"Why?" Tamsin frowned harder. "Don't tell me that it somehow connects to your life span or something."

She looked at the candle cautiously, but there was nothing abnormal about it. It was just an old style candle made from animal grease.

"No, she said that if the candle goes out, the monsters would come in," Kenzi said.

Tamsin snorted. "Bitch's probably messing with you...who is she anyway? Why did she imprison you in that room? What happened after Hades grabbed you?"

"Honestly, I don't remember much," Kenzi told her as she followed Tamsin into the darkness. The candle in her hand burnt quietly, providing a ray of warm light and a comfort feeling of safety.

"Oh, did you pass out?" Tamsin asked as she looked around vigilantly.

"Yeah, I think I did. I remembered a little about the fight at Zeus's place. I was hiding in one of the closets or cabinets...then I think something blew up? Or maybe something explode? When I woke up again, I was already in that damn room with that crazy bitch and this candle."

"Which crazy bitch? Do you know her name?"

"Umm...she said she was Hades' favorite daughter? And I was like...yeah right, because you paint your lips like you just bit some wet mud?"

"Hades' daughter?" Tamsin frowned. Then she nodded and said, "oh, you mean Melinoe? Crazy chick with long fingernails and mean look?"

"Yeah, I guess. She mumbled a lot, I mean, like a LOT. I think at one point she said her name but I don't think I could remember it."

"Okay, what happened next? Did she leave? Did she tell you anything? Did she say where she was going?"

"Umm...I think she said something about a gate, and Hades...it was like she was gonna meet him there or something. She looked really excited."

"But, you didn't see Hades or Bo's half brother? Or anyone else?"

"No, I don't think they were there when I woke up," Kenzi shook her head. "The bitch told me that I should just give up or something, because a quick death would beat a slow and painful one. Then, she said that if the candle should go out, there would be nothing but darkness and the monsters would come in."

"Monster or not, let's just keep going," Tamsin told her.

"Where are we going?" Kenzi asked. "Do you already know where Bo and Dagny are right now?"

Tamsin bit her bottom lip. She thought she'd give Kenzi the answer she wanted to hear, and then she'd get her out of here first, but she knew Kenzi would hate her for doing that. She also wanted to find Bo and Dagny desperately, and she feared that coming back for them after having gotten Kenzi out would be too late.

"No, I don't," she eventually admitted honestly. "I just...I think you should just get out first and-"

"-and what? Wait for you all to come home while eating a truck load of ice cream just so I would feel less anxious? No, hell no," Kenzi told her firmly. "Either we get outta here together, all four of us, or it's a no go."

"It's not really safe for you to be here, human," Tamsin reminded her. "I don't even know what's waiting for us and I don't-I'm already in a pretty bad shape. I don't think it's a good idea for both of us to be stuck here, especially when we don't even know where they are at right now."

"Yeah, yeah, shut your mouth, Tam-tam. We are gonna find them first," Kenzi said as she playfully pinched Tamsin's lips together to stop her from talking.

Tamsin sighed. She knew Kenzi had made up her mind already, and there was no way she could change that, so she sat down and suggested, "let's take a short break and figure out where to go first then."

Kenzi nodded and sat down beside her. When she saw Tamsin close her eyes and throw her head back, she asked, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tamsin murmured. "Just feeling a bit rusty, probably cuz I've been staying with you for too damn long."

"Hey, don't talk to me like that. I am technically your mother," Kenzi faked an angry tone.

Tamsin shook her head and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say so, Momz."

Kenzi stared at the candle for a while, before she nudged Tamsin and said, "so...what's with you and Bo, hmmm? Are you two a thing now?"

"I thought we agreed not to talk about it right now," Tamsin hissed.

"Oh come on, Tamsin. I'm bored and I'm scared. I'm down in this shithole for at least two days and I'm dying for a cheese burger. Just entertain me for five seconds, will ya?"

Tamsin sighed. She pressed her palms together and squeezed. She thought she'd refuse to answer Kenzi's request. She thought she'd talk about something else for a while, but then she thought, why the hell even bother? She was in the bottom of Tartarus. She didn't know where Bo or Dagny was. She had no idea what would happen next. She had no idea what Hades had for them. She didn't even know if she could make out of here in one piece.

"I don't know," she eventually said to Kenzi. "I mean, we aren't dating. We aren't a couple, if that was what you were referring to. I don't know what we are. Hell, why does it even matter? I don't think I should care about the label anymore. I never thought I'd see her, or any of you ever again, but here I am, alive again, breathing again."

"That's a good thing, Tam-tam," Kenzi told her. "You coming home."

Tamsin huffed out a light laugh, as if she was snorting at herself. "Good thing or not, I stole it. I stole this life from...for whatever, fate, or maybe some fucking Goddess who's in charge of everything. I shouldn't have come back. I shouldn't even had lived my last life or the one before that. I...I should have died a long time ago."

"Then why the hell are you throwing yourself back to all those heartbreaking things?"

Tamsin took a deep breath. She could feel herself shivering now. She just had too much inside her chest, and suddenly they were all dying to get out. "I've considered starting a new life or something, you know. I really have," she said. "Like moving to somewhere else, somewhere far away from this damn Fae town. Live the life I want. Make every second of it count. Do something meaningful. Eat healthy. All that kinda shit. Maybe fall in love again, and this time with someone else, someone new, and just...live this stolen life till I die."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because a part of me just...if I choose to start a new life, a part of me would just die, because that part of me would always choose to be here, to be with Bo," Tamsin told Kenzi in a whisper. "I know, I should probably date someone else, have a relationship. I don't think I am not capable of it, but it will never be the same. I might be able to fall in love with another person, but it would never be like how I fell for Bo. She's...she's everything I've ever wanted, Kenzi. For thousands of years, I've searched for this girl. I've had this description of this perfect girl in my head for so damn long. Hell, I probably have fallen in love with her long before I ever met her. I never thought she'd exit, but she does. She does exit. She's right here. I guess this is just how things are. It's my fate."

Kenzi sighed while gently rubbing the side of Tamsin's arm. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you know that it's entirely possible that Bo can not, and will not return your feelings, right?"

"I know," Tamsin answered after a brief silence. "When I first found out about it, it was...really painful. It broke my heart, but it doesn't hurt me anymore. I don't need to be her lover. I don't need to be her girlfriend. I don't need to marry her or anything. I just want to stay by her side. I know that she has some feelings for me. I know that she'll be there for me just like I will for her. That's enough for me. That's more than enough. It is already more than I ever expected."

Kenzi patted Tamsin softly. "Well, I guess as your Mama, I'll just...I have to support you, right? As long as you are happy...are you happy, Tam-tam?"

"Not right this second," Tamsin grunted. "Not when I'm stuck in the bottom of this hell hole without knowing where Bo and Dagny is."

"Let's go find them then," Kenzi suggested. "Where should we go?"

"Well..." Tamsin let out a deep breath. "We came from the top level looking for you. And then we go attacked. I don't think they'd go back up there because we've already searched through all the upper levels. Either Hades grabbed them already, or they are looking for us too. In that case, they would be going down just like me."

"Then we are going down too," Kenzi said while nodding.

"You said that the crazy chick mentioned something about a gate, right?" Tamsin asked.

"Mhm. Why?"

"By any chance she mentioned its location too? Did she say anything about what she's gonna do with the gate, or what the gate has to do with any of us?"

"No, I don't think so."

Tamsin nodded. "Well-"

The sudden, wild flutter of the candle flame interrupted her. It went out before either of them could do anything about it.

Darkness devoured them immediately. The dead silence seemed like a warning, a warning of the incoming danger.

Then, they started to hear things, things other than their heartbeats or the sound of themselves breathing. They heard low growls. They heard footsteps. They heard excited sniffing and heavy puffing.

Kenzi grabbed Tamsin's arm and tucked herself close to the Valkyrie. "What are those and what do they want?! I'm too cute to die!"

* * *

Bo loosened her grip on the dead enemy's neck. In darkness she watched that dead body fall as she let out a cold, blue eyed smile.

She cautiously searched for her flashlight in the brief silence. After having found it, she turned it on and looked around.

She found herself in the middle of a massive cave-like place, where the walls seemed to have rough, rocky surfaces and the ground was hard and cold. There were multiple exits, but she had no idea through which one she had come in.

"Tamsin!" She called as she looked around at all the dark corners and steep walls. "Dagny! Where are you guys?"

The echoes of her voice bounced inside the cave, intensifying the fear in them and the emptiness around her.

She went to check out the exits as she wondered if either women had gone through one of them during the battle. "Daggs?" She called. "Tamsin? Are you guys here? Can either of you hear me?"

Her voice died in the air slowly. After a long, heavy silence, she heard Dagny's scared, hesitant voice coming from one of the exits.

"Bo? Is that you?" The young girl asked, her voice shaking a little.

"Yeah, where are you?" Bo replied as she exited and went down the long, bumpy tunnel looked for Dagny. It didn't take her long to find the young girl at the other end of the tunnel with a bunch of dead bodies around her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Bo asked as she rushed to Dagny. She held her by her shoulders gently and looked into Dagny's bloody red eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Dagny shook her head multiple times. "No, I'm just..." she murmured as she turned to look at all the dead bodies around her. "I'm still not very used to this _feeding_ thing of mine."

As she said that, the long weapon in her hand glowed. Like echoing that glow, all the crimson burn on those dead bodies glowed too.

"It's...it's just a bit strong," Dagny added while staring at all those drained, greyed faces.

"It's alright. Let's take a break," Bo told her softly and helped her sit down. She stroked Dagny's hair as she looked around.

They were in another cave-like place, and this one was smaller than the one she had come from. _Is this place a damn dungeon or something?_ She wondered as she pointed her flashlight at all the corners.

"Where is your mom?" She asked Dagny, since she didn't see Tamsin anywhere. "Is she not with you?"

Dagny turned to her, confused. "I thought she was with you," she said. "Those things...they attacked us and kinda pushed me away from you guys. I-I don't...she's not with you?"

"No...we got separated by the monster too," Bo said, suddenly feeling heavy.

"Where is she then?" Dagny asked, concerned. "She's not...she's not in danger, is she?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Bo told her and rubbed her shoulder. "Let's go see if we can find her."

Together they stood up and walked back to the big cave where the main fight had taken place. They checked all the dead bodies to make sure that Tamsin wasn't among them. The trails of the dead monsters led to several directions.

Bo sighed. "I guess they might have chased her down to somewhere else," she concluded. After a short pause, she picked up a ripped open backpack - her backpack - from the ground. The content inside it had all slipped out and gotten lost. The only things she could find were a couple packs of hardtack and three bottles of water.

"Hey, at least we still got some food and water," she told Dagny as she held those things in her arms.

Dagny nodded. She found her backpack behind a rock. It was in much better shape than Bo's, but the clasp had been cut and she had lost almost everything in it. Only some backup darts and a first aid kit remained inside.

She also found her flashlight not far away, but it would no longer work. She sighed and took out the batteries.

Bo put her things into Dagny's bag and carried it on her shoulder. "Let's go," she said.

"To where?" Dagny asked her.

"I don't know...but I guess it might be a good idea to follow the dead bodies so we can figure out where your mom went."

"Okay," Dagny nodded and followed Bo.

They thought they'd run into more monsters on their way, but other than the darkness and the cold air, it was just them walking among dead bodies.

"Soooo…you and my mom?" Dagny eventually asked, because she was dying to know.

Bo cleared her throat uncomfortably while secretly thanking the darkness for the first time since now Dagny wouldn't see her embarrassed blush that well. "Your mom and I...we are...ummm...how should I put this…" she stuttered.

"Are you two together? Are you two like dating?"

"No, we are not dating, and I wouldn't say that-I don't think that it's like what you think, Daggs," Bo replied.

"Then...what are you two really?" Dagny asked. She glanced at Bo, before she quickly added, "it's not like it's really my business, I guess. I just want to know."

"I...I don't know," Bo admitted honestly.

"Do you at least love her?" Dagny asked bluntly.

"I do," Bo replied. "It's just...what I feel for her is so different from what I felt for anyone else. I'm...it's just hard for me to put a name to it, you know. For us...love has so many layers between us and I-it's just complicated."

"I saw you two kissing," Dagny announced in a whisper.

"Yeah…we ummm...we did," Bo stuttered. As she thought about that kiss, a warm rush tickled her heart. She could feel it on her fingertips, the painful yet heated heartbeats.

"You know that...she really loves you, right?" Dagny told her.

Bo nodded. Something suddenly squeezed her heart. It could be guilt, or regret, or pain. Or, it could be that thing that she had always longed for but was never able to grasp. "I know," she murmured. "And I really love her too, but no, we aren't in a relationship right now, nor are we dating. After all this shit comes to an end, we may start something new, or we may just...be who we are and be there for each other."

"Do you want to start something new?" Dagny asked curiously.

Bo bit her bottom lip and let out a smile. Dagny's question suddenly awakened something hidden deep inside her. A craving. A seed. A spark. Something inside her opened its bright eyes and peeked out from its cocoon, waiting for the fresh breeze of spring.

"Well, I-"

Bo stopped talking when she noticed a chalk-drawn symbol on a rock in front of her. "Hey," she pointed it to Dagny. "Your mom must have left it here."

Dagny immediately looked around, but other than broken weapons, dead bodies and half dried blood stains on the ground, she didn't see Tamsin anywhere.

It didn't take them long to find the hidden stash that Tamsin had left between two rocks. Knowing that Tamsin had left alive gave them courage and hope.

"Where next?" Dagny asked.

Bo took a good look around the place. There was a passage that was slightly elevated and it seemed to be connected to the upper level. There were a few paths that extended into the darkness and she had no idea where they'd lead to.

"Well..." she murmured. "Since we didn't find Kenzi in the upper levels, she must have gone down looking for her and us."

"Okay, but which way should we go?" Dagny asked.

"That is a really good question..." Bo murmured. She tried to follow the trail that Tamsin had left, but there were too many blood and dead bodies. She couldn't figure out where Tamsin had gone to.

As she was kneeling beside one of the dead bodies checking out the footprints, an arrogant voice came to her from behind.

"I wouldn't worry too much about her if I were you," that voice drawled, spooking both women. "She's probably somewhere, getting punched by Tartarus dwellers."

Bo clenched her teeth and spun around with her dagger in her hand. Hades' smirking face was only a few feet away from her, and that made her anger spike. She wanted nothing but to punch that smirk off his face right now.

"Where is she?" She demanded as she glanced at Zagreus, who was standing beside Hades looking agitated. "Where is Tamsin?"

"Why do you think I would know?" Hades shrugged. "I've done using her, so I really don't care where she is or what she's doing. As far as I concern, she could be dead already."

"No, she's not," Dagny yelled at him as she brandished her weapon. "The only person that should be dead is you!"

"Oh come on, this is getting a bit too old now," Hades said lazily as he watched Dagny's movements closely. "Can we just have some father daughter moment without anyone getting hurt for once?"

"You are not my father," Dagny told him firmly.

"Except that I actually am," Hades corrected her. "And good news, you are getting a family reunion today, both of you."

Bo sneered. "You slaughtered my family."

"They were dragging you down! You have so much in you, Bo, and they were trying to make you a dull girl," Hades told her. "Look cheerful. Let's go see your other sister, and then maybe the five of us could have a little family time together."

"We are not going anywhere with you," Bo announced.

Hades smiled. "Don't you want to know everything about the hellgate? Isn't that what you came here for?"

"I came here for Kenzi. Where is she?" Bo bit out.

"Ahhhh...yes, that's right. Kenzi, that human girl," Hades nodded. "Don't worry. She's still alive, and you will see her in a bit."

"Let me see her first, and then I'll go with you," Bo said.

"Oh, come on, we are not enemies, Bo. You don't have to look at me like that," Hades said to her. "Fine, fine, you can have my blood oath. You will see Kenzi when you see your other sister Melinoe, and I promise you that your little human friend will be alive when you see her."

"And where is my mom?" Dagny asked impatiently.

"I've already told you. I have no idea. I don't need her anymore," Hades said. "You are more than welcome to look for her, though I can't say how much longer Kenzi could wait. Humans usually don't do well in Tartarus if they stay here for too long. I guess it might be the air or something. I mean, come on, it's not like Tamsin has raised you anyway. Shouldn't you care more about who actually raised you?"

Dagny hissed furiously and waved her weapon at Hades, but Bo grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Let go of me, Bo," Dagny warned her in a dangerous whisper.

"Having a fight with him here is not a good choice," Bo reminded her with a whisper so low that only she and Dagny could hear. "I want to find Tamsin too, but we probably should figure out what he's up to first."

"But, my mom...she's somewhere and she's alone. What if she-"

"I know," Bo said with a sigh, her hands starting to tremble, "but I think-"

"Oh, come on, kids," Hades interrupted them with a loud drawl. "How about this? I'll just let my people know that I need her at the family reunion too. Is that good enough for you? Can you come with me now?"

"Not unless you give me your blood oath on that too," Bo said.

"Fine, fine. You have my blood oath on that. I promise you that you will see her and Kenzi there. Are you happy now?" Hades said impatiently. "Now let's go."

* * *

Tamsin flung her weapon at a monster's face to knock it down. She flung it backwards immediately to force an attacker to her left to fall back.

She gasped heavily as she stepped back and stood firmly between Kenzi and the monster herd.

"You okay back there?" She asked.

"Oh, no, I am not okay. I am so not okay. I am completely and totally not okay," Kenzi answered her with a shaking voice as she held up the heavy sword in her hand like she was holding up a baseball bat. "Not when we are surrounded by a gazillion of Sweet-Mother-Russia-knows-what monsters."

Tamsin wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, and that she'd make sure to get her out of Tartarus safely, but how could she tell Kenzi that when they were surrounded by howling monsters and she herself was choking in her own gasps?

She waited for the next wave of attacks while wondering if there was an end to it. Ever since that damn candle went out, monsters poured out from the darkness and attacked them in endless waves.

Low growls came to her, together with the sound of the monsters breathing heavily. However, they seemed to have stopped attacking her or Kenzi.

Tamsin frowned. She wanted to take a look at what was going on, but it was too dark, and they had lost the only flashlight they had not long after the initial attack.

She squeezed the hilt of her weapon nervously as she held her breath. And then, she heard that hysterical laughter coming afar.

A few seconds later, Melinoe appeared with a torch in her hand. The monsters stepped aside to let her go through.

Melinoe glanced at Tamsin and Kenzi as if she was looking at some low life who didn't deserve her attention. She stared at Kenzi with a wicked smile. "You are coming with me, human girl."

"No, I am so not going with you, Tartarus...bitch," Kenzi retorted as she folded her arms harder and pulled the sword back a little. "You call off your monsters and leave us alone!"

"They aren't really mine. They are just a bunch of bottom dwellers who would pounce on any warm flesh," Melinoe shrugged. "And too bad, you don't have a choice. Daddy wants you now."

She grabbed Tamsin's collar and shoved her aside forcefully. Tamsin tried to fight back and she was too worn out to do so. She ended up stumbling and falling on her back.

Melinoe grabbed Kenzi's arm and dragged her away despite Kenzi's struggles. When Kenzi tried to hit her with her sword, Melinoe simply knocked if off her hand. She chuckled and walked through the monster herd. They let her go through quietly, before they surrounded Tamsin again with hungry growls.

"Hey! Let go of me, you crazy bitch!" Kenzi yelled. "And leaven Tam-tam alone!"

Melinoe chuckled again. "Oh don't worry," she said. "She's gonna come with us too, after she stops breathing, cuz daddy didn't say he needs her alive."

She then laughed. Her high pitched voice echoed in the empty place, giving Kenzi creeps.

Tamsin pushed the monsters away before she reached for Kenzi's hand, but they didn't allow her to get close enough.

"Kenzi!" She yelled while fending off the monsters with her weapon. "Hey, bitch, where the fuck are you taking her?!"

She could still hear Kenzi's yelling and Melinoe's laughter, but the light from Melinoe's torch quickly got drowned by the darkness. She could barely see them now. It was as if Tartarus had devoured them.

The monsters pounced at her, and she fought back while wondering in panic if she herself could get out of this fight alive.

She knew she should focus on the fighting, but a part of her couldn't help but think about what Melinoe, or Hades, would do to Kenzi, and more importantly, why Hades would want Kenzi right now after having left her in that room to die. She thought it might be related to Bo. Maybe Hades now suddenly need something to make Bo comply. Then, that would mean that Hades had already had Bo, and maybe Dagny too.

Too distracted, she got hit in her chin. The pain was so intense that it numbed her for a brief moment.

She fell back, staggering, dodging the monsters' attacks. Then, she heard a loud yell from Kenzi.

It sounded painful, like something bad had happened to her. Then the hell breeze carried Melinoe's vague laughter over.

"Kenzi!" Tamsin yelled again.

No one answered her but a loud bang. It sounded like something had exploded, or one strong force had clashed into another.

She saw something bright afar. The rays of light almost blinded her. The monster who was about to grab her suddenly started to shudder in fear.

All the monsters turned to look at the bright flash. After a series of frightened murmurs, they started to flee, leaving Tamsin behind.

Tamsin watch that flash in daze. It only lasted for a few seconds, before it went out completely.

The darkness ruled the underworld again. There was nothing but dead silence. The nasty smell of the monster herd was still in the air, but the monsters were long gone.

A soft buzz caught Tamsin's attention, and she found her flickering flashlight beside a dead body. She picked it up and headed towards the direction which Kenzi's voice had come from.

After running through a winding passage, she found Kenzi in an open area in front of a dark cliff. The petite woman was unconscious and lying in the ground with her arms folded in front of her chest.

Melinoe, who was also unconscious, was a few feet away from Kenzi. She had her back against the cliff and her arms lolled beside her. The torch, which was already out, got tossed into the corner of the place.

Tamsin rushed to Kenzi's side. She tucked her right arm under Kenzi and carefully raised her into her lap.

"Kenzi! Can you hear me?" She called as she tapped Kenzi's face gently.

Kenzi eventually opened her eyes. She looked beyond confused. When she saw Tamsin's face, she flinched and raised her arms like she was holding a weapon. Then, she furrowed her eyebrows at Tamsin, and asked, "what the hell just happened?"

She lowered her eyes and glanced at Melinoe. "And who knocked the Tartarus bitch out?"

"I have no idea," Tamsin told her honestly.

"I think there was a bang, like...did she step on a Tartarus mine or something?" Kenzi murmured.

"I don't think there's any mine down in this hellhole. Whatever that thing was, it probably saved us, for now."

"Well hopefully that shit will save us later too," Kenzi murmured and stood up.

"Yeah..." Tamsin said absentmindedly. She stared at the unconscious Melinoe. The first thought that came to her was to kill Melinoe before she would wake up and come after them again. However, she feared that just like Hades, normal weapons wouldn't harm Melinoe but would wake her up.

"Let's just get outta here before that bitch wakes up," she suggested. "Can you walk?"

"I think I probably can limp," Kenzi said as she put her arm around Tamsin's shoulder and let the Valkyrie help her walk.

Tamsin picked up the torch. She frowned at the almost charred handle but decided to shrugged it off. She lit it up and raised it. "Let's go."

Kenzi nodded while looking at the place with a deep frown. _What the hell happened?_ She wondered. _Was it like my white knight or a guardian angel or something?_

* * *

 **A/N: Tamsin and Kenzi will find out who saved them in the next chapter or so. Will also have some explanation on Hades' big plan and such.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Kenzi held Tamsin's hand tight in darkness. She kept her other hand over her own mouth and nose. She let the air in and out through her nose slowly and quietly as she stared at the vague light afar.

As the light came closer and closer, her heart beated faster and faster. She could feel the pulse of fear in the back of her throat.

She told herself not to move her eyes away from the light because she needed to know where it was and where it was moving at. She kept staring at it until she could see the shape of a torch and the one who was holding it.

It was Melinoe, followed by her minions. The woman mumbled something furiously as she walked along the passageway. Every time she let a curse fall out from her mouth, her minions would shudder and move a little further away from her.

"Oh come on, you useless underworld shitheads! Let's go find that damn human girl and that Valkyrie! I swear when I find them I'm gonna rip that Valkyrie's chest open and squeeze her heart until it stops moving," Melinoe commanded her minions as she shot them a venomous stare.

They circled around the area for a while looking for Kenzi and Tamsin. Melinoe seemed to be too angry and agitated to focus on her mission. Her minions, on the other hand, followed her orders reluctantly in great fear.

At one time they were so close to where Tamsin and Kenzi were hiding that Kenzi almost screamed.

"Oh daddy's gonna be so mad at me..." Melinoe whined as she covered her forehead with her empty hand. "Deliver the human alive and the Valkyrie dead...it was such a simple mission! I can't believe that I let them get away…no...I didn't let them get away. Something knocked me out and they fled. It wasn't my fault! It was not my fault! Ugh!"

With her loud, frustrated yell, she slammed her hand at one of her minions who failed to keep a distance far enough from her. The minion let out a painful cry and turned into a puff of dark smoke, before it disappeared in the air.

The others fell back frightened as Melinoe waved her hand at the smoke and moved away from it. She kept mumbling as she moved away from Kenzi and Tamsin. Her tone altered from anger to fear and then to anxiety as she moved down the passageway in haste.

Tamsin squeezed Kenzi's hand gently when she saw that Melinoe had gone far away from. The only thing that could be seen from her right now was the vague, flickering light from her torch.

Tamsin and Kenzi quietly came out from where they had been hiding in great caution.

"How long do we have to follow her?" Kenzi asked Tamsin in a barely audible whisper. "If this hide and seek shit happens one more time I think I'm gonna have a real heart attack."

"Your heart is fine, okay? You probably have the strongest heart that I've ever seen in a shortstack like you," Tamsin replied impatiently as she carefully looked around to make sure that none of Melinoe's minions were still around. "And I've already told you, if you want to, I'll send you back up first."

"Not a chance, Tam-Tam," Kenzi told her firmly. "I'm not gonna ditch ma girls in this shithole and leave first just so I can stay alive."

"Then stop whining and be quiet," Tamsin whispered to her as she headed down the same passageway Melinoe was on.

"You really think she's gonna lead us to Bo?"

Tamsin sighed. "I actually hope not, because if she does lead us to Bo, it means that Hades has her now, but...you heard that crazy bitch. Hades wants you alive and he wants you now. Either he's gonna use you as a bargaining chip or Bo is demanding to see you alive and well before anything happens next. Either way, he has her."

"And you think that crazy bitch is definitely going back to Hades right now? What if she goes all the way up and then down looking for us for days?"

"I don't think Hades has given her days to deliver us. He wants us now, so once she realizes that she couldn't find us she'll have to report back," Tamsin replied. "Or better...maybe Hades will come to her and bring our girls to us."

Kenzi nodded. "Let's hope you are right then," she said.

"Come on," Tamsin urged as she pulled Kenzi gently. "We need to keep up with her. Also be careful and watch out for any monsters and shit, okay?"

After a brief pause, she murmured, "speaking of which, isn't it kinda weird that suddenly the monsters are all gone? I mean, except the ones that are with her right now."

"Well, isn't it a good thing?" Kenzi shrugged. "Maybe someone has finally answered my years of prayer and some weird luck of mine is finally kicking in?"

* * *

Bo was shocked that Tartarus was this deep. Whenever she thought that they had arrived at the bottom of it, a staircase that led to the lower level would appear. She turned to Dagny, wanting to know if she was okay. The young girl gave her a nod.

"Don't worry. We are almost there," Hades told Bo as if he could read her mind.

Bo scoffed. "Where exactly are we going, if you don't mind telling us?"

"To the bottom of Tartarus of course," Hades answered her.

"This shithole actually has a bottom? Wow," Bo said sarcastically.

"Of course it does. That's where the hellgate is at," Hades told her. He watched Bo closely and continued, "aren't you curious about the hellgate? I bet you want to know everything about it, don't you?"

"Oh, trust me, I do want to know _everything_ about it," Bo bit out. "Including how to shut that shit down forever, in case you haven't figured out already."

"Hmmm...I don't know if there's such thing as forever, but...since we still have a long, boring walk ahead of us, let's talk about the hellgate first, shall we?"

"Do we have a choice?" Dagny snorted.

Zagreus seemed to be angered by Bo and Dagny's attitude, and he threatened them with warning growls. Hades patted him and told him to calm down, before he started, "the hellgate, well, it's nothing fancy really. It's just a portal located at the bottom of Tartarus. The other side of it is at a place way, way down below."

"I know. It leads to the prison where all the defeated Primordians are locked up," Bo said.

"Ah, looks like someone has done her research. Indeed, it leads to the prison, and the prison only has one exit, the hellgate," Hades said.

"Great, then I'll make sure that it stays closed forever," Bo said. "If you ever think you could release those caged Primordians just so they could trash my world, think again, because I'm sure that the first thing they'd want to rip apart is you."

"Why do you always think that I want to destroy your world? What good would that do to me?" Hades shrugged at Bo.

Bo frowned. It was not the first time that Hades had said that, but it would still confuse her. She was fairly certain that he was lying about something, but she just couldn't figure out why he would be lying to her right now when what he wanted to do was beyond obvious.

"You know, when Zeus put me in that box, I was sent down here. The power of the box, it sort of trapped me at a place where it was between the prison and here," Hades said. "For a long, long time, I stayed here. The only thing I could hear is the prisoners whining, screaming and crying. Oh boy, those are some really pissed off prisoners. You have no idea how much rage they have in them or how much pain they have suffered while being in there."

"Too bad, she should have sent you right through the damn gate and made you one of them," Dagny said coldly, and Hades laughed at her comment.

"What the hell do you want from us?" Bo growled at him as she had lost all her patience. "Since we are all here, why don't you just spit it out so I can punch you right in the face and tell you hell no?"

Hades gave Bo a smirk as he stared at her and then at Dagny for a long time. The smirk stayed on his face for so long that it started to give both women creeps.

"Do you know how I became the King of the underworld?" After a long silence he suddenly asked them a question that seemed unrelated to the hellgate.

"You drew the shortest straw," Bo said, "on purpose, because you wanted to come down here."

"Do you know why I wanted to come down here?"

"You wanted to build an army," Dagny answered him. "I think your army suck, by the way."

Hades let out a few low giggles as he shook his head. "Oh, kiddo, you haven't even seen my army yet."

"We might not have seen the entire army of yours, but I think we've kicked enough asses to know that they suck balls," Bo told him, though she felt that she suddenly got curious and anxious for Hades' tone suddenly turned serious and arrogant.

Hades shook his head again, still chuckling. "You know, being down here in Tartarus. Being the Dark Lord. Watching all sorts of souls suffer. Making them my army. Those things are fun but do you think I'd actually spend that many years here for an army even you two could defeat?"

"I don't know, or it could be that you really liked this shithole because it suits you so well," Bo drawled loudly, and got a warning hiss from Zagreus who had been quietly walking by Hades' side for a while.

"Oh Bo, my dear, you have no idea how much you remind me of Aife. You are just like her. You have a smart mouth and you are always so feisty," Hades commented.

"Don't you dare mentioning her name again! Don't even talk about her in front of me! Don't say her name ever again! You slaughtered her!" Bo yelled at him, unable to stop herself from shaking when when she remembered Trick and Aife's brutal death.

"Oh come on. She betrayed me. I wanted the three of us to be a family again, but she refused. What else could I have done?" Hades told her as he gave her a big shrug.

Bo clenched her fist, too angry to say anything. Hades, on the other hand, seemed to have decided to resume their conversation. He scratched his head, before he said, "where were we? Oh, right, my army...I mean, yeah, the things down here are probably scary enough for humans and maybe some Faes, but to make serious damage? No way they could ever do that. Many of them can't even be touched by sunlight."

"I thought you said multiple times that you weren't into the idea of doing damage to my world," Bo said as she stared at him right in the eyes.

"Ummm no, I never said that. I said I wouldn't destroy it, but I never said there wouldn't be a few broken bones or some dead bodies lying around," Hades shrugged at her lazily, like he wasn't talking about people's lives but the weather. "To get what I want, there has to be certain...sacrifices, you know."

"Oh, finally, just as I thought you wouldn't tell us what you want," Bo said as she crossed her arms in front of chest and stared at Hades.

"I thought I've given you enough hints of what I want already," Hades told her. Though, instead of waiting for her reply, he answered her, "I want the one thing that should have belonged to me. One thing that should have been mine a long, long time ago."

"What might that be? A shoe up your ass maybe? Or something sharp right in your chest?" Bo retorted.

Hades shrugged Bo's comments off. Once again he stopped the enraged Zagreus from attacking Bo. "I was the oldest, you know," he told Bo, and it took Bo a while to realize that he was referring to his past, that he was the oldest kid among all his siblings.

"So?" Bo raised her eyebrows.

"Zeus, on the other hand, was the youngest. She should not have gotten the throne, but oh well, our mother always loved her more."

"Well, she did have enough balls to fight your father, who raped, tortured and imprisoned your mother," Dagny bit the words out as she stared at Hades in rage. "I'd say she deserve the throne for just doing that."

"It was my idea!" Hades growled at her. Anger burst out from him and distorted his face, making it look hideous enough for Dagny to flinch. "I couldn't care less about what he had done to her because my mother was a useless bitch. To her I was nothing! I did it because I wanted that throne! It was my idea to overthrow him! It was mine!"

Like knowing that he had lost his temper, he combed his hair and took a deep breath. Then, he put on his signature smile and continued, "it was my plan and Zeus stole it. She took the credit for it, and our _mother_ was too dumb to notice all that. She crowned her the King of Olympus. It should have been me!"

"You are not your mother's favorite, boo hoo. Shit happens," Bo said. "And to be honest with you, I think it was a great thing that you didn't get to be the King."

Hades wasn't listening to her though. He paced back and forth anxiously, before he stopped and stared at Bo. "Do you believe in fate?" He asked her.

A little surprised by the sudden change of the topic, Bo frowned at Hades, wondering if he was fucking with her again. However, when she noticed that he was really serious, she narrowed her eyes at him and hesitantly repeated, "fate?"

As that word left her, she suddenly recalled the meeting with Nyx. Nyx had told them that the reason Tamsin had come back was that she shouldn't have died. Her death wasn't in her fate, at least it shouldn't have been there ten years ago. Hades tricked the Goddesses of Fate but he could not change fate itself. That was why Tamsin came back.

For some reason, a warm rush flowed into Bo's heart when she thought about all that. She had never believed in fate, not really, because for most of her life she was the one who would defy anything that was set to happen or that was meant to be, but now she was willing to believe it a little simply because it might be the very thing that had brought Tamsin back to her.

"I don't know if you believe in fate or not, Bo," Hades continued, "but it was one interesting thing. Sometimes you'd have to do one thing before you could do another. Other times you think you made a game changing choice but it really does not change anything. We all have one, Bo, and we are all following the exact course of our fate. The difference is that I know mine."

Bo was about to ask him if he, too, had visited the Goddess of Fate, but she swallowed it back since she didn't want him to know anything about the meeting with Nyx at all. "That's pure bullshit," she said as she decided to play dumb. "You can't possibly know that."

"You know there are people that can see other people's fate, don't you?" Hades asked Bo.

"Yeah, in myths," Bo replied as she shrugged.

"Myths are just something that happened too long ago for people to actually remember," Hades told her. "In my time, there were oracles. They were the real deal. One of them had foreseen the fate of my father, which was that he would be overthrown by his own children. He tried to stop it by imprisoning us, but he failed, because fate can not be stopped."

"What then the same oracle told you that you'd become an asshole or something?" Dagny scoffed, and gave the growling Zagreus a cold stare with her blood red eyes.

"Oh, no, that oracle died right after he said that to my father, because what he had said pissed him off," Hades said as he ignored Dagny's comment. "In fear, the other oracles stopped revealing what they had seen. My mother, however, had met with some of them secretly, because she wanted to get rid of my father but she was too much of a coward to do it herself. She wanted to know if the prophecy was real, and one of them confirmed that one day, we'd banish our father and set her free."

Bo and Dagny quickly glanced at each other as they both wondered why Hades suddenly started to talk about the old things that had happened to his family. After nodding at each other, they decided not to interrupted him.

"However, she also told my mother that she wouldn't have her freedom for long. Soon the Ancients would be banished too, including all her children. She did the one thing that all incompetent moron would do. She went home and cry. She weeped for the upcoming loss of her dearest child Zeus. It was fucking annoying. I asked her if the oracle had said anything about me. She said that she didn't ask. She didn't even ask!"

"So...you went to see the oracle yourself," Bo said as she stared at him.

"Of course I did! I just wanted to know what my future would be like and when that incompetent bitch could get out of my life," Hades said. "The oracle did her ritual, and she looked beyond surprised. She said that fate had a different plan for me comparing to my other siblings. She told me that long after the era of the Ancients, I would open the hellgate."

He paused for a long time as if he was reliving that conversation with the oracle. "I never understood it. I didn't even know what the hellgate was back then. I thought it was a metaphor, or maybe the damn oracle was mumbling useless crap, until the day the Primordians fell and were locked up behind the gate. I got even more confused because I asked myself why I would want to open it. I couldn't figure out the answer, so I went to the oracle again."

Bo waited for him to tell her what the oracle had said to him during his second visit. She felt that it must be something important, something that could explain everything and answer all her questions.

However, Hades didn't continue. Instead, he stopped in front of Bo and pulled Zagreus aside. "You want to know about the hellgate? You are looking at it right now," he told Bo.

Bo looked at the place where he was pointing at, but she saw nothing. She was expecting a door, a hatch, or at least some sort of structure that would allow someone to use, operate or manipulate, but all she saw was a massive empty ground in front of her.

She looked around, and realized that the only exit here would be the path that they had come from because the empty ground looked like a huge mesa. There was nothing beyond the edge of it. Bo thought it might be deep abyss but she couldn't see anything.

She gave Hades a confused frown, before she searched for the hellgate. It took her a long time to notice that there were rows of rocks under her foot. They were covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt, and she could barely make out the shapes of them.

She brushed the mud off each one of them and eventually realized that those rocks formed a pattern which didn't look random at all.

They formed two concentric circles. The color of the rocks altered regularly from dark to light and then back to dark.

The center of the two circles was a big piece of round rock. It wasn't a perfect round, though. The surface of it was bumpy. Bo thought the bumps and the dents must be forming some pattern, but she couldn't tell what it was at all.

She glance at Hades, and he nodded at her with that wicked smile telling her to explore more. She cautiously walked along the stone circle, until she found four more rocks on the outer circle which looked similar to the center one. They were larger than the others, and they evenly divided the circle into four sections of arc.

Bo got down on one of her knee as she tried to figure out if there was anything meaningful written or carved on those rocks, but nothing was legible.

Pressing her fingers on one of the rocks, Bo thought she felt a pulse coming from underground. She immediately withdrew her hand while wondering whether she had just felt was real.

"Don't worry. It's closed," Hades told her like he could see through her concerns. "For now."

Bo stood up and started to pace along the outer circle again. "I know that you are gonna open it, and I know that it has something to do with me, Dagny, and the other two. But, there's just one thing I couldn't figure out…."

"If you got a question, all you have to do is ask," Hades opened his arms as if he was about to embrace Bo.

"Why now?" Bo asked as she watched Hades carefully. She stared at him, paying attention to every micro expression on his face. "If you have already had everything planned, why didn't you do it ten years ago? Why haven't you done this before I was born? You just need four Pyrippi. It doesn't have to be us, does it?"

"To answer that question, you'd have to know how fate works, Bo," Hades told her. "The most beautiful, yet annoying thing of it is that I don't decide what I do. I do what my fate has decided for me."

"You fate tells you that this is the time?" Bo asked him as she put her hand on the hilt of her dagger again.

"As I said, sometimes you need to wait for something to happen before other things could happen," Hades told her. "You can't rush fate."

"So all conditions for opening the gate have been met now?" Bo pursued. "You think this is the time when you should open the gate?"

Hades was about to answer her, but a teary wail interrupted him.

They all turned to where the sound had come from, and they saw Melinoe running towards Hades. She seemed scared, and was about to break down.

Bo quietly walked to Dagny's side and covered her with her own body while cautiously watching Melinoe.

Melinoe wasn't paying attention to her or Dagny, though. She didn't even acknowledge their existence by nodding or glancing at them. She went straight towards Hades.

Hades took a look at the path she had come down from. "Where is the human girl? Where is that Valkyrie?" He asked her. His voice was soft and calm but Bo could smell that subtle anger buried underneath.

"Daddy, I am so sorry," Melinoe told him as she started to shake in fear. "They ran away."

"They ran away, huh?" Hades repeated in a gentle voice as he narrowed his eyes at Melinoe.

"They...I mean, I found them. I got them trapped right there! But...but something happened and they got away."

Bo and Dagny quickly exchanged a look as they squeezed each other's hand, both letting out a deep breath.

Knowing that Tamsin was still alive and managed to get away with Kenzi, Bo's heart jumped as that flutter of heat rippled through her body. Suddenly she just couldn't wait to see the Valkyrie's face.

"Something happened?" Hades repeated Melinoe's words again, and his voice got softer. "You mean you screwed up?"

"No, no I didn't. Daddy you have to believe me! I didn't screw up! I really caught that human girl and the damn Valkyrie was so trapped. She couldn't have lasted for one more minute, if it hadn't been-something really happened and I got knocked out. It scared away my army too."

Hades cleared his throat. "Let me get this straight, dear. I gave you a mission, a very simple one, yet you are telling me that you failed? How could you have failed delivering me a human and a dead Valkyrie?!"

His voice suddenly got loud as he slapped Melinoe hard with the back of his hand. She got jerked away and fell. She raised her head and looked at Hades, like she was too eager to please him but too afraid to get any closer.

Bo licked her lips as she suddenly felt bad for Melinoe even though she knew that Melinoe was too crazy to be an ally. "You gave me your blood oath that I get to see them alive! Both of them!" She growled at Hades, temporarily distracting him from Melinoe.

"I did, but only for Kenzi. I said you'd see Tamsin, but I never promised that you'd see her alive," Hades shrugged at her as he let out a sly grin.

Immediately after he had said that, he got punched by Dagny. Burning in rage, the young girl had her weapon out in her hand again. Her wings got thrown out behind her back and they flapped fiercely.

She rose into the air, dived down at Hades and slashed her blade at him.

Hades simply stepped back a little and let Zagreus took that blow for him. Zagreus grabbed Dagny's weapon and forced her back in great force. A crimson burn appeared on his hand, but he seemed to have not been bothered by it at all. He shook his head while howling in a low voice, before he changed into his huge animal form.

He launched himself at Dagny, roaring and dashing like an out-of-control truck. He grabbed her and threw her at the wall.

Bo ran to help Dagny, but after a few rounds of toss and punch, Zagreus hit her in her chin. She instantly blacked out.

* * *

Bo wasn't sure how long it took her to gain her consciousness back. Opening her eyes, she could still hear the ringing in her ears. She couldn't feel her jaw at all. Her nose felt sore, and there was a thick, rusty taste in the back of her throat. And her head, it was so dizzy like someone had scrambled her brain.

She struggled to sit up. She could see the crimson glow from Dagny. She could also hear Zagreus growling. They were still fighting, but they had moved away from the concentric circles while she was out and now she could barely see the contours of their bodies.

Bo struggled to sit up, and it was then that she saw Hades and Melinoe near the center of the circles. Hades stood there looking at Dagny and Zagreus while Melinoe kneeled on the ground begging him to forgive her for not being able to deliver Kenzi or Tamsin.

Bo forced herself to get up. Her painful groans caught Hades' attention. He turned to her and smiled at her. Then, he raised his eyebrows as he looked down at something near Bo's foot.

Bo looked down and realized that the bottle with the fake lighting had fallen out from her pocket when she had been hit. She reached her hand out to pick it up, but Hades got it before she did.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," Hades said lazily as he looked at the bottle. "Looks like a lightning arc to me. Is it what I think it is?"

"It's yours, if you agree to let Kenzi and Tamsin leave," Bo told him. "By leave, I mean safely, in one piece, without any injuries, out of Tartarus forever."

"The lightning is certainly worth a lot more than a human's life and of course the life of a Valkyrie who should have stayed dead. Are you really gonna give this to me in exchange for their life and safety?" Hades asked her as he rolled the bottle between his fingers playfully.

"Yes," Bo told him. "Give me your blood oath, and it's yours."

Hades laughed. He clicked his tongue as he stared at the bottle. Just when Bo thought he'd put the bottle into his pocket and give her the blood oath she had asked for, he loosened his grip on the bottle and let it fall into the ground.

The bottle tumbled back and forth on the bumpy ground, until Hades slammed his foot at it and crushed it with his shoe.

The bottle shattered. The tiny lightning arc buzzed weakly before it went out.

"Oh, Bo, my poor girl…." Hades looked at Bo while shaking his head. He faked a look of sympathy while continuing, "a lightning arc in a bottle? You really think I'd buy that? I'm feeling so disappointed, and also kinda offended, you know."

"You'll never get Zeus' lightning. It's nowhere to be found," Bo told him in a hiss.

"Oh I'm sure it's somewhere. You just have to know where to look and how to look for it," Hades said lazily. "I guess I'd have to admit that at least you've got one thing right. When Zeus leaves her lightning somewhere else it's usually kept inside a vessel. It's just that the vessel wouldn't be a bottle you bought from a yard sale."

"I will find the real thing, and don't worry, the first thing I'm gonna do when I find it is to throw it at your damn face," Bo said to him slowly, biting each word out.

"Even if you could hold it and fight with it, you wouldn't have time for it, Bo," Hades told her. "Everything ends here today."

With that, he reached his right arm out. Bo thought he'd grab her and hit her like he had done to Melinoe, but he didn't.

Instead, he just turned his wrist slowly. A blue glow appeared around his fingers, and it got stronger and stronger. A stream of blue energy gathered around his hand and formed into a bident.

"You know that Hepha made us weapons, right?" Hades said as he examined his weapon. "Each of the five children of my parents got two items. Zeus got her lightning and her shield. For me, I got a helmet and a bident. Later, when Zeus cast me down to Tartarus she took my helmet away but I still get to keep my bident. I don't think you've ever seen this before, have you, Bo?"

Bo didn't answer him. She anxiously stared at the bident as she wondered what he was gonna do with it.

A loud cry from Dagny caught her attention. Bo turned to take a look. She gasped when she saw that Zagreus had cornered Dagny and now had his hand on her throat choking her. He pulled out the crimson energy from her slowly and she cried in pain.

"You let go of her, you fucking-" Bo cursed as she rushed over, but she was too weak to fight him and he pushed her away.

Bo was about to try again, but before she did, she heard a furious yell.

"You leave her alone, you son of whoever!" Kenzi's angry voice came to Bo. The next thing Bo knew was the petite human darting at Zagreus. Kenzi looked so angry that she seemed to have forgotten that Zagreus was a hundred times more powerful than her and that he could kill her with his thumb.

"Kenzi!" Bo called her as she tried to grab Kenzi, but Kenzi ran like a fearless bolt.

"Kenzi!" This time, it was Tamsin's voice. She ran after Kenzi, trying to stop her from throwing herself into danger. She wanted to fight Zagreus herself instead, but she couldn't stop Kenzi either.

Bo's eyes met Tamsin's in the air. Bo's heart almost exploded when she saw Tamsin's face. Even though beaten up, heavily bruised and covered in blood, the Valkyrie still looked so full of life.

They gave each other a quick nod before they both ran to help Dagny, but by the time they reached Dagny's side, Kenzi had already grabbed Zagreus' arm.

Her move enraged Zagreus. He let go of Dagny momentarily as he grabbed Kenzi like a pissed off child grabbing a doll. He raised her in the air and squeezed her despite her struggles, angry yells and punches.

He moved his empty hand back and fisted it, about to smash Kenzi with it. Before he touched her, though, a loud bang deafened everyone when a bright flash occurred.

It was the same bright flash that Tamsin had witnessed. This time, she got the chance to have a closer look, and she realized that it was something that had come from Kenzi, or rather, out from Kenzi's body.

The flash hit Zagreus. He growled furiously and stumbled back. He shook his head, howling in pain while loosening his grip on Kenzi.

Kenzi fell into the ground and the flash weakened, reducing into a soft shimmer around her. Zagreus tried to get her again. He barely touched her when the flash suddenly exploded and hit him again.

The roaring sound echoed in the air before it tuned down to soft buzzes and lazy sizzles. Suddenly the heavy air seemed to have become fresher, as if a thunderstorm had just taken place.

The flash kept getting brighter and brighter, forcing Zagreus back. He dug his claws into the ground and covered his face and chest with his arms to battle with it, but couldn't. As he moved further back, the flash became so bright that at one point Bo and Tamsin both thought they'd become blind if they kept staring at it for any longer.

The flash slowly attenuated into a thin, long string of light that connected Kenzi and Zagreus. It wrapped around him like a cage of thorns. He struggled, growled, fussed and fought back, but eventually he collapsed and passed out.

Tamsin had finally figured out what that flash was. It was a stream of some sort of electrical energy.

Or, more precisely, a lightning arc.

After a moment of dead silence, Kenzi looked down at her own hand. The lightning had dimmed down into a pale blue glow lingering on her skin.

"Holy sweet mother of dear Russia! Was that me? For real?!" Kenzi exclaimed in shock as she moved her eyes back and forth between her hand and Zagreus.

Bo and Tamsin looked at each other, their eyes wide open in shock. Then they gaped at Kenzi while trying to process what had just happened.

"Ah ha!" Hades eventually exclaimed as he stared at Kenzi.

Bo frowned when she noticed that Hades seemed to be keeping a distance from Kenzi. She immediately moved to Kenzi's side and stood between her and Hades.

"Well...what do you know?" Hades said as he turned to Bo. "I guess technically you weren't lying about the lightning. You did bring it to me after all."

"What?" Bo murmured as she looked at Kenzi. As she slowly made the connected of the word "lightning", "Kenzi" and "bring to me", she suddenly realized what Hades was talking about, but it was too unbelievable and she was in too big of a shock to even consider it.

"Like I said, the lightning can be kept in a _vessel_ , or a sheath if you will…" Hades explained to her as he eyed Kenzi. "It's just that the vessel is not something made from metal or leather or glass. It's not something dead or cold. It's always warm, alive, with a heartbeat."

* * *

 **A/N: It turns out Kenzi has Zeus' lightning! Will she kick Hades' ass with it soon? Hmmm I guess it won't be that simply, will it? More explanation about the lightning and Hades' evil plan in next chapter, and (maybe) a little Valkubus moment too.**

 **I've considered many possible plots of how they would acquire Zeus' lightning or who would have it, before I made the decision that it would be Kenzi. She has also turned herself into Fae partially, died once and then come back. She's not really a "human" anymore. She also raised Tamsin and Dagny, so there was a huge part of maternal instinct inside her whenever those two were in danger.**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

It took Bo, and the others, quite some time to understand what Hades had just said.

 _Kenzi has the lightning? Zeus' lightning? And she's a what now? A vessel?_ Those questions popped into Bo's head. She stared at Kenzi blankly for a second or two, and then she laid her eyes on Kenzi's hand where the remaining electrical energy was still buzzing softly.

She turned back to Hades eventually. Licking her lips anxiously, she tightly wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her dagger.

Subconsciously, she refused to believe the things Hades had just revealed, that Kenzi somehow became a container for Zeus' lightning, were true. It was just impossible to her knowledge, and she couldn't help but wonder if this was yet another trick from Hades. However, she was unable to come up with an explanation for what exactly had happened either. If it wasn't Zeus' lightning, what else could it possibly be? What else could allow Kenzi, a human, to knock Zagreus out like that?

 _But, how?_ She wondered as she frowned at Hades' annoying smirk. _How could Kenzi possibly have gotten hold of the lightning? We didn't even know where it was, or what it looked like and we searched for it for a long time but couldn't find anything. Did Zeus somehow planted it inside Kenzi before she went back to Myth without anyone knowing? Did Kenzi somehow figured out where and how to get it on her own? Was Kenzi that good at keeping such a big secret?_

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Hades said to her. "This has nothing to do with me, I swear."

Bo was about to ask him how it happened exactly, since he was the only person here who might have an idea. Before she raised her question, though, Dagny blurted, "this is not possible."

The young girl stared at Kenzi for a while, before she turned to her mother as if she was seeking some sort of validation of her statement from the Valkyrie.

Tamsin, however, seemed to have a slightly different opinion. "Well..." Tamsin said hesitantly. "Yeah...I mean, there's no way a human can do that but...this is hardly the most impossible thing that had happened, is it? For me, I'd still vote me coming back from the death of my last life over her having the lightning, or even me giving birth to a P-"

She stopped herself abruptly since she didn't want to let Hades know that Dagny wasn't a Fae or a hybrid of Fae and Ancient. She wasn't even an Ancient. She was a Primordian, the first kind, the kind that was said to be long gone, the kind that was more powerful than the Ancients. She remembered that when Dagny had first revealed her power when confronting Hades, Hades seemed to have no idea what Dagny was. She remembered that when Dagny hurt him that day, he had shown a hint of fear. Tamsin didn't want him to know what Dagny was, ever.

Hades, on the other hand, wasn't paying much attention to her. He was still eyeing Kenzi, and his stare had made the petite human so uncomfortable that she tucked herself behind Bo.

Bo covered Kenzi and patted the side of her arm gently. Hades chuckled at her move as if he was asking her why she'd bother to protect someone from him.

"So...I guess none of you think this is possible?" Hades asked, his eyes still on Kenzi.

"Mortals can't wield Zeus' lightning," Dagny said matter-of-factly, like she was answering a question in her exam.

"Oh dear," Hades shook his head at her. "This is not wielding. This is barely holding the lightning inside her. She's a vessel just like-"

He turned to Bo and continued, "-your ex wife and all those humans Zeus used. It would be stupid to think that being a vessel of an Ancient means you are strong enough to defeat the Ancient or having the Ancient work for you, wouldn't it? Just as stupid as thinking that having the lightning inside her means that she could use it properly."

He paused briefly, before he said, "as for how she got it, I have no idea. Well I mean, I might have an idea or two, but they don't really matter that much now. She somehow got into contact with it for sure. Maybe Zeus has it hidden in her apartment and it responded to the strong energy of the fight we had there earlier. It could also been inside her a long time ago, when Zeus was still here. Who knows. That sneaky little bitch, always hiding things from me just like my mother…."

Bo felt a little relieved that Hades seemed to have nothing to do with Kenzi holding Zeus' lightning, but she was still worried because she had seen how those human vessels of Zeus turned out, and she didn't want Kenzi to get hurt.

"I guess the oracle was right. Fate has everything planned out for me," Hades mumbled to himself with a thrilled look. "It even delivered me the lightning! How convenient."

Bo watched him closely as she suddenly had the feeling that something big was about to happen. "Your fate again, huh? I guess it also told you to draw the shortest straw so you could come down to Tartarus? Did it also tell you to kill my mother, Trick and Tamsin?"

Hades pulled one corner of his mouth into a evil smile. He raised his index finger and pointed it casually at Tamsin who was standing right next to Bo. "Well, I did kill your mother and your grandfather, but when did I kill Tamsin? She died the Valkyrie way. She died of childbirth. She didn't even really die. She's standing right there, right beside ya."

"Because she shouldn't have died in the first place! She wasn't supposed to!" Bo yelled at him furiously as she remembered how Hades had tricked the Moirai into cutting Tamsin's thread, "but you wanted her to die, and you made it happen ten years ago."

"Alright, fine, okay," Hades drawled as he rolled his eyes. "Maybe it was me, so what? She made her way out of the underworld and came back anyway. No harm no foul, right?"

Bo stared back at him. She hoped that the anger in her eyes could kill, because then she'd have killed Hades for a hundred times already, if not thousands. "You are an asshole, a narcissist. You are a psychopath. You are the sickest, more disgusting person I've ever known," she said to him slowly as she pushed each and every word through her clenched teeth, "but I know you kill for a reason. You kill because you need those deaths to happen."

"Ahhh…I see, so this is your way of interrogating me about my plan again, huh?" Hades said as he playfully swung his bident in the air. He watched the blue energy residue slowly disappear in the darkness while adding, "for what? So you can _intervene_?"

"If you are so confident about it, why can't you tell us? What you are afraid that we're gonna stop it if you tell us?" Bo taunted.

Hades chuckled again, shaking his head as if Bo's words amused him greatly. "I don't mind sharing a few details with you, Bo," he said. "We are at the very end of it anyway. Maybe when you hear about it you'll finally stop struggling because you'll know that there's no way you could stop me."

"I beg the differ," Bo snorted, though she wondered if there really was a way to stop her father. She had noticed that even though Hades had found out that Kenzi had Zeus' lightning, he didn't seem concerned, afraid or anxious. It seemed that it didn't matter to him at all. She couldn't help but wonder why. Was the lightning not enough to kill him? Or was there something about it that he knew but they didn't?

"You got one part right, Bo, you smart, smart girl," Hades said as he paced along the stone circle. "Every death does fit into my plan. I mean, those collateral damages are not included of course. I'm just talking about the deaths you've mentioned. They do fit into my plan. They were all something my fate has planned for me."

"There comes your fate again. Did anyone tell you that sometimes all your fate does is to screw you over and over?" Tamsin commented.

Hades laughed. "Maybe yours, but certainly not mine," he told her. "And yours screwed you over and over because you had no idea what was gonna happen to you next. You have no idea what choice you should be making, or whom you should be falling in love with. You banged your head into the dead end over and over, because you had no idea where you should be going."

Tamsin didn't respond to his comment. Instead she reached for Bo's hand secretly and gently squeezed it. The brunette immediately squeezed back.

"I, on the other hand, do know exactly what's gonna happen to me next," Hades said arrogantly as if it was some precious privilege that no one but him would deserve having. "When I went to the oracle the second time, she told me that everything would make sense when it should make sense. I asked her if she could elaborate, and she reluctantly gave me a few details."

"Such as?"

"For example, that I'd open the hellgate long after the Ancients were gone from Earth, that I'd have four Pyrippi who are related to me by blood. Not until they are motherless would they become the key to the hellgate. I believe that was what she said to me back then. She also mentioned to me what kind of _mothers_ my children would have. Now, you know how those deaths fit into my plan."

"Dude, you did all that because of some gibberish some whack job lady once told you? That's the new level of pathetic," Kenzi said to him as she put her arm around Tamsin's waist to pull her close as if she was trying to protect her.

"Typical, ignorant, dumb human," Hades said to her with pity. "You don't even possess any power, yet you think you could stand here and undermine an oracle?"

"That's all she told you?" Bo asked.

"Oh no, I haven't gotten to the best part yet. The best part of the conversation between her and me, was that she explained to me how fate would work, how it would put me into a desperate position before anything could move forward. She told me that she saw me surrounded by darkness and death for ages, that there would be nothing with me but the anguish of the tortured dead and the whine of the wronged soul. She assured me that it was only a part of my fate. It had to happen before anything else could happen."

"So that was why you deliberately drew the shortest straw. You _knew_ you were gonna get sent down to Tartarus," Bo said.

"Sort of, yeah, back then a part of me still wanted to verify if her words were correct, you know," Hades said. "And indeed they were correct, every single word of hers was"

He paused for a long time as he examined his bident like he was trying to figure out if there was any damage to it. "The more time I spent and lived, the more I become amazed by that oracle. She foresaw everything. Everything. She even told me precisely that I would be banished by those who are related to me by blood, for three times. Then, I would be rescued by those who are related to me by blood, for three times. After that, a lot of things would start to make sense to me."

"Being Banished? But, you didn't get banished to Myth. You escaped because you were sent down to Tartarus before that," Bo said.

"Oh, Bo, Myth isn't the only place to where you can banish people. There are a lot of places the banished could go, for example, Tartarus," Hades explained.

Bo frowned at him. She somehow had a very vague idea of what all these banishment related things were about, but she couldn't quite grasp it yet.

"You already knew about the first banishment. I drew the shortest straw. I got thrown into Tartarus by my siblings and my mother. That was how Zeus got to be in the throne back then instead of me."

With that he raised his index finger and turned his palm towards Bo, as if he was counting for her. "I was supposed to be bound to Tartarus forever when that happened, but hey, my fate has a different plan for me, remember? I grabbed that ignorant little slut and made her fall for me. She begged her mother, Zeus, to grant me some freedom at least. Zeus could have said no, but the dumb snacker munched down all those pomegranate seeds like a hungry chipmunk. Zeus had to give me some freedom in exchange of some of her freedom. See, it worked out just like the oracle had told me. I was banished for the first time and then rescued for the first time."

Bo knew that he was talking about Persephone. The way he talked about her, and the fact that he had kidnapped her, imprisoned her, raped her and brutally murdered sickened her.

Hades, on the other hand, chuckled, as if he had just mentioned something he was proud of. "The story after that, I think you might have heard some of it. Zeus hated me for everything, for taking her daughter. I made a lot of fuss, and created a lot of trouble. She eventually got pissed and decided to send me further down. She used that box on me, and caged me in a space deep down in Tartarus, where I couldn't get out on my own. That was the second time I was banished."

He raised his middle finger, before she continued, "then, you released me and granted me freedom. That was the second rescue. Then, you sent me right back to Tartarus as the third and the final banishment. Then, my sweet little daughter Dagny helped me get out. That was the last rescue."

He then stretched his thumb out. With his index and his middle finger he formed a "three" at Bo. "Three banishment, three rescues. Three is all I need."

When Bo had heard that, something rolled inside her stomach, making her nauseated. The coldness on her back now was slowly creeping up along her spine. She could practically smell her own fear now.

She had always suspected that there was a reason behind everything that Hades had done, because some of them didn't make much sense to her. Now, he had confirmed to her that there was indeed a reason behind all those things. They would all fit into Hades' plan, and his plan was in a much, much bigger scale that she had ever expected.

She knew that her releasing Hades from the box was in his plan. She had no idea, though, that sending him back to Tartarus was also his plan. He had practically planned everything, and now she started to wonder what other things she had done that she thought was the right things to do but in fact had been in his plan too. Had she been helping him all alone without even realizing it?

"Okay, I get it," she said as she tried to keep her voice calm and indifferent. "You need to be banish three time and then rescued three times by those who share your blood, because your fate said so. I kicked your ass back to this shithole ten years ago. Did your fate tell you to wait for ten years before moving your _plan_ forward?"

"Well, the oracle did say that after the third banishment, I'd spend a lot of time down in the darkness waiting for my rescue because simply the one who was supposed to rescue me wasn't ready. I also took the time searching for my long lost son and that bitch who betrayed me. I had to make the last Pyrippus motherless too, right? It just happened to have taken me that long to do all those things."

"Did your fate tell you to find him or to screw with Lauren, trick her into making that damn serum and then steal it to empower him?"

"Hey, that wasn't stealing! I was simply taking something that was mine. I mean, afterall it was I who gave her enough hints so she could finally make that serum. It would be ridiculous for her to think that it should be hers, right?" Hades gave Bo a big, lazy shrug. "Besides, you knew how unsafe it is for her too keep that serum. She couldn't keep her hands off it! Even if she could, there would always be someone who's after that serum. I was simply doing her, and all of you, a favor by taking it away from her. And yes, my fate did tell me that I need four powerful Pyrippi, not three powerful Pyrippi and one weak and crippled."

"What a load of bullshit," Bo commented. "And you know what I think about your fate? I think it's flawed as hell."

"Why would you say that?" Hades asked her. Even though he was too arrogant to take Bo seriously, a small part of him still got curious enough to ask.

"You are following the steps your fate has set up for you, blah blah blah," Bo drawled. "You get everything settled. What's gonna happen next? Oh that's right, you are gonna open the hellgate to let all those angry Primordian prisoners out. If you think that you aren't gonna be their first target, think again."

Hades laughed at Bo's words, as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. "Maybe they'd do that to me a few thousand years ago," he said, "but not anymore."

He saw Bo's furrowed eyebrows and he laughed again. "Oh, Bo, my poor child. You have no idea what this place can do to you, do you?"

"Other than making you intolerable, no, not really," Bo replied.

Hades seemed to have wanted to make a comment on her attitude again, but instead he continued explaining, "this place, Tartarus, is the low of the lows. It's the bottom of the world. It spawns nothing but darkness and despair. Everything down here, are either tortured, have begged for death, or have nothing but anguish."

"Oh, believe me, I know," Bo said.

"If you are trapped here for a few days, you'd feel scared, hungry, and maybe a little down, but that's about it. You'd still have hope and you are still living. When you are imprisoned down here for, say, a few years or maybe a decade or two, you'd become frustrated, angry or in your mother's case, go insane, but you'd no longer feel scared, because if you could manage to stay here that long, nothing could scare you anymore. The only thing you'd be thinking every second of every day would be how to get out."

"What's your point?" Bo asked impatiently, unable to figure out how this could be related to the comment she had made about Hades' plan.

Hades huffed out a scoff. "As the times goes by, you'd eventually accept that there is no way out for you. No one's gonna come for you. Nothing's gonna take you away from this place. When the last tiny bit of your hope gets crushed, when you accept the fact that you could never leave this damn place, this place would start to eat you, little by little, bit by bit….Your physical body starts to rot. Your memories and your feelings starts to fade away. Soon, there will be nothing left in you other than one thing, and one thing only, rage. You'd hate everyone and everything. You'd want revenge. You'd want to smash things, to hurt things, to destroy things, not necessarily the ones that locked you up in the first place, but everything that's the opposite of you. That rage will not die. It'll only get stronger and stronger until it consumes you completely, until it becomes the only thing that's left of you. For the Primordians, they've stayed behind the gate for so damn long. They are not themselves anymore. They are long gone."

He stopped for a second or two and took a glance at the thick darkness beyond the border of the platform they were standing on. He noticed that Bo was looking at it too like she was wondering if all the Primordians were really down there.

"Don't get me wrong, Bo. I'm not saying that they have disappeared or vanished or something. They are still down there, because they had nowhere to go. They are confined in a dark place abandoned by time and by everything else. They have died a long time ago, Bo. The locked up Primordians don't exist anymore. What's left behind that gate, are only shadows. My father and the others, their very existence has been reduced into shadows of wrath. They are nothing but a puff of putrefied smoke, or maybe a breath of rotten air. They can't think. They can't speak. They can't reason. And I doubt they could recognize anyone or anything. Let me tell you what's gonna happen after I open the gate, Bo. Those shadows are gonna rush out, roaring in pain. They'd want to kill someone, but I doubt it would be me. They won't remember me. They won't even remember that I was one of those who locked them up. What they want to destroy the most, are the things that they once had but were taken away from them. Those who are alive and breathing. Those who can still laugh and feel. That warm, bright sun and everything under it. They are gonna want to destroy all of them."

"Now you admit that you want my world destroyed?" Bo asked him while wondering why suddenly he had said that.

"No, Bo, I couldn't care less about your world being destroyed or not. I just need that army of chaos to get it banged up enough before I can get what I truly want."

"What do you truly want then?" Bo asked.

"I have already told you, Bo! I want the throne! Have you not been listening to me?!" Hades yelled. There was sudden burst of anger in his voice, like he was very upset that Bo would ask him that question after their conversation earlier. "I want that throne!"

"Ummm, is it just me or are you not making any sense? How can that get you your throne?" Kenzi asked, confused.

Hades scoffed at her. "Humans are such weird low lives...well, to be fair, Faes aren't exactly any better," he said. "You are so weak, so desperate and so stupid. You believe things just because you want to. You follow someone because you think that person could lead you, no matter how fucked up that person is. You worship whoever, or whatever you think that has saved you. What do you think is gonna happen after years and years of pain brought by the Tartarus shadows, I finally become the one who defeat them and lock them up again? Whom do you think all those ignorant, stupid morons like you are going to worship after that?"

He stopped briefly and looked at all four women condescendingly, like his plan was too brilliant and they didn't even deserve to know about it. "I will get what belongs to me," he announced as a sheen of blue energy rose and surrounded his body. "I will make every single one of them worship me. I will make them bow. I will be more popular than Zeus, than anyone else that has ever existed! There will be no Gods but me!"

Bo nervously glanced at Tamsin, and her heart sank a little when she realized that Tamsin was equally concerned and scared.

Bo had always assumed that Hades wanted to destroy her world. She never thought his plan was to paint himself as the savior and make himself a God. How could she possibly stop him, and also stop all those angry shadows from hurting anyone in her world? How?

"I gotta say that it's a great plan," Tamsin commented. There was a hint of tremor in her voice, but she swallowed it back immediately. "I just don't think that those pissed shadows or whatever are that easy to lock up. You gotta be careful cuz if they kill all your ignorant, dumb morons, you'd end up having no followers."

"Don't worry. I got that part covered. I know how to open it, and I know how to lock it. I've done it once, remember?" Hades told her with great confidence. A smile of arrogance beamed from his face. That was a look that both Bo and Tamsin were too familiar with. That smile, it meant that everything was going the way Hades had expected.

"In fact," he gloated. "Soon I'll be the only person who can actually lock up the gate."

Tamsin anxiously turned to Bo when she head that. Somehow the way Hades said it made her very scared. It sounded to her like right now there were other people who could lock the gate but soon these people would no longer exist. For some reason, she felt that it had something to do with Bo.

Bo took Tamsin's cold sweat covered hand into her fingers and squeezed them gently. It was meant to comfort Tamsin, but only Bo herself knew that she was shivering just as hard.

"Well, since we are all here, I guess I could let all of you know how to open the hellgate," Hades said absentmindedly as he knocked on one of the patterned rocks with the tip of his bident. "Not everyone can open or close it. It has to be someone who bears that curse."

"The curse that turned you into an a-hole?" Kenzi blurted.

Hades let out a deep breath and stared at the rock beneath his foot. "The curse, it just has something to do with parents and their children. It's something common in my era, for some reason. Parents wanting to eliminate their children. The children wanting to overthrow their parents. It was always like that. My father's father shoved his children back into their mother's womb. My father castrated him, and then he got ousted by us for wanting to kill us in the first place, ironic, huh?"

He paused for a long time, like all his old memories of his family, his father and everything else fleeted across his mind. Then, he continued, "when we decided to overthrow him, we figured we'd put him in a prison and let him rot, because death was just a way out too easy. Then, we discovered this space in the bottom of Tartarus. What was even more fascinating, was that the gate somehow responds to that strong urge of wanting to kill someone who shares your blood…."

He trailed off as he approached Melinoe, who had been sobbing in fear on the ground for the entire time.

He got down to look at her in the eyes, and the woman immediately stopped sobbing. She was too scared to make a sound.

"Mel," he called her name as he caressed her cheek gently with the back of his index finger. His voice was unbelievably soft, so soft that it made the hair on the back of Bo's neck stand.

"Daddy," Melinoe murmured and looked back at him. "Please forgive me, please. I promise I won't fail you next time, or ever again."

"Oh...my sweet little girl," Hades cooed her as he raised her face by lifting her chin a little. "Of course I'll forgive you. I'm sorry I was a bit harsh on you earlier. I just...I really need things to go my way, okay? I can't let you, or anyone, screw this up."

"I-I'm sorry, daddy," Melinoe apologized again. Tears fell down along her cheeks, and neither Bo nor Tamsin could figure out whether they were tears of happiness or fear.

"It's okay. Everything is gonna end soon," Hades told her. "I won't be mad at you again, Mel, I promise."

"Really?" Melinoe beamed. She looked at him eagerly like a small, innocent child.

Hades nodded firmly. "You do remember that I have a plan, right? The plan I told you about when you were a little girl?"

"Yes of course I remember. You said that I was very important to your plan. You said that you couldn't do it without me."

"That's right," Hades assured her. "Back then, you promised me that you'd help me. You remember that too, don't you?"

Melinoe nodded. "I'd do anything for you, daddy," she announced as she wiped her tears off.

"Okay, now is the time," Hades told her simply. He put his left arm around Melinoe's shoulder and pulled her close like he was the father who was comforting a frightened child. "You know, you grew up exactly the way I wanted you to be."

"Really? I did?" Melinoe asked as she hugged him back. Her voice was filled with joy.

"Yeah, I couldn't have asked for anything better," Hades told her.

Melinoe chuckled, choking in her tears. She let out a big, proud grin as she hugged him tight. Though, that grin suddenly froze and turned into the look of confusion, horror and pain when Hades thrust his bident deep into her chest and twisted the blade inside her.

Melinoe was too shocked to even put up a struggle. She looked at Hades, her eyes shot wide open. When he pulled the bident out and pushed her away, she numbly looked down at herself, at where her blood was gushing out.

Then, she raised her head slowly and stared at Hades. "Daddy…?" She called him hesitantly, with a lot of fear and sadness in her voice.

"You said you'd do anything for me, Mel," Hades told her softly as he watched her collapse into the ground bleeding to death. "This is how you could help with my plan. You have to die."

A few muffled noise got pushed out from Melinoe's throat like sobbing plea. Then, bloody foams came out from her mouth. She looked at him in disbelief, with the pain and anger brought by the betrayal. Then, the fear of death fleeted across her eyes, but only briefly. As she started to lose her consciousness, she gave Hades a hesitant smile. "Daddy...did I really help?"

Hades nodded at her while telling her "oh yes".

Melinoe smiled again. She choked out more blood, before she murmured to him, "can I be your...favorite child now?"

Hades tilted his head a little and gave her a wicked smile. He never answered her question. He didn't have to anyway. Soon she stopped breathing.

Way too shocked and scared by what had just happened in front of their eyes, Bo couldn't react properly at all, neither could Tamsin, Dagny or Kenzi. All four of them just stood there in dead silence with their heart trembling and their hands fisted.

Melinoe's blood made a mess on the ground. The patterned rock under her was soaked in blood too. At first the thick, crimson liquid just ran down towards the lower part of the platform, but after a second or two, it started to move backwards like an invisible force was pulling it back.

It all went back to the rock, and slowly sank in, as if the rock was absorbing every drop of Melinoe's blood intentionally.

Soon, the ground was as clean and dry as it ever had been. There was not a single drop left. The rock, on the other hand, turned from pale white into a bloody red color. Something began to glimmer underneath the red, like something underneath had been awakened by Melinoe's blood.

Hades smirked at the stunned women as he pressed the tip of his bident against the rock to let it take the last bit of blood stuck on his blade. "I forgot if I have mentioned to you or not, but to open the gate, just standing here is not enough. The gate needs a bit of a sacrifice. It needs to taste the blood from your blood relatives to make sure that you really want to kill them."

He raised his bident, which was clean now, and he looked at it. "You are right about how to open the gate, Bo. In order to open it, I need to gather all four Pyrippi. What you don't know is that, I have to drench each of the four stones with each of your blood to open the gate."

With that, he slashed his bident at Bo abruptly. It came at her too fast, that she barely dodged it.

She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Then, she saw the bident slashing down at her. She jerked to the side, but not fast enough. One of the prongs pierced her left thigh and pinned her to the ground.

Tamsin rushed to her. Before she could even touch Bo, though, Hades dealt a heavy blow to her chest with his elbow.

When Dagny attacked him, he had to pull his bident out from Bo, which resulting in Bo groan in pain,.

He took her weapon with his and clenched his teeth. With a hard push, he forced her back, tossing her to the corner.

"Be patient and get in line," he told Dagny while watching the young girl struggle to get up. "You are next, sweetheart."

Tamsin took the chance to drag Bo back. She didn't make far, when Hades caught up with them. She tried to pull her Valkyrie power on him, but she couldn't even get it to work properly. The first few seconds gave her a heavy headache, and then her back pulsed in pain.

She stumbled back, and he sneered at her while shoving her away brutally. He grabbed Bo and dragged her back to one of the patterned rocks.

"Don't worry," he said to Tamsin. "You are gonna go with her eventually, after I drain every drop of her blood of course."

Both Tamsin and Dagny yelled at him furiously. They repeatedly tried to get over to Bo's side and to help her, but each time Hades stopped them by forcing them back.

He raised his bident while Bo struggled in futile. Tamsin growled and scrambled over to Bo. Before she got to her, though, Kenzi jumped out and struck Hades with lightning.

The bright light blinded everyone for a second or two. The roaring sound ringed in their ears. After the light dimmed down, they were shocked to see that Hades wasn't hurt by the lightning at all. It did burn his suit a little, but apparently made no injuries on his skin.

Glancing at their stunned face, Hades laughed out loud. "Oh, please," he said lazily. "She's just a sheath. She can use it because the lightning protects the sheath, but to defeat me? That's a completely different story. Even Zeus can't kill me with one strike. What makes you all think a human can?"

He grabbed Kenzi by her neck. Kenzi yelled, struggled, kicked and bit, waving her arms in the air. A bright light came out of her hand and hit Hades, and Hades laughed while reaching out for that light directly.

He slowly closed his fingers, letting the lightning gather in his hand. The lightning eventually formed a cylindrical shape.

He pulled his arm back, as if he was drawing the lightning out from Kenzi's body. And eventually, the bright light left Kenzi. Glowing softly, it became a short spear in Hades' hand.

Hades tucked it into his belt and shook his head. "I don't suppose I'd use this anytime soon but it's always nice to have it," he said to them. "Low lives like you think you could use it to defeat me? That's just hilarious."

He came at Bo again. When he saw the other three women dashing towards him he struck all of them down with a single blow from his weapon. Then, he looked down at Bo, who had nothing but anger burning in her eyes, and said, "now, let's get the second stone ready."

Bo growled at him, trying to put up a fight, but the wound caused by the bident earlier somehow made her very weak. It was as if the injury had consumed her completely. She could barely hold her dagger, let alone fight.

She weakly push his hand away, but the next thing she knew was the bident plunging into her body.

It felt really cold at first, like the bident was about to freeze her flesh from inside out. Then, it exploded into an excruciating pain which made her cry out loud.

He held her by grabbing her hair, and used his blade to slit her throat.

Bo choked. The pain and the fear of death triggered her Succubus instinct before she blacked out. She suddenly sat up and grabbed Hades's weapon and jerked him away.

She opened her mouth, starting to take Chi from everyone on the platform. She could feel the wound on her neck slowly healing.

It didn't take her long to realize that she was taking Chi from everyone but Hades. She also realized that she was hurting the others, especially Kenzi since she was the only human there.

Beyond scared that she might kill Kenzi, or maybe all of them, Bo gasped and forced herself to stop feeding. She saw Kenzi collapse and she wanted to run over to help, but Hades pulled her back to the patterned rock ruthlessly and thrust his bident into her lower back.

Bo struggled hard, using every bit of her strength to push him away. She eventually succeeded, because Zagreus suddenly awakened. His loud fuss temporarily distracted Hades.

Bo staggered, trembling in pain. Hades came at her again, and she had nowhere to run but to step back. With so much pain, she had forgotten that she was not very far from the edge of the platform. She dodged his attack, before she tripped and fell over the edge.

She could hear the women yelling in fear and anger. She could hear Hades' loud voice as well as Zagreus' wild howls. But, soon the wind had taken all those sounds away from her.

She was falling into the bottomless darkness. She was helpless and she was in great pain. She could see that the darkness enveloped her body as if the hell itself was hungrily devouring her into its belly of eternal gloominess.

Fear hit her, hammering her chest. She clutched her chest, feeling her own fingers trembling like crazy. She started to wonder if this was how she was going to die. The feeling of death was real, so very real.

She desperately tried to grab something, anything, to stop herself from falling down further, but there was nothing for her to grab. There was nothing out there but darkness.

She let out a painful sigh, thinking that maybe she should close her eyes and give up now. Befores she did, though, she saw Tamsin dive down.

The Valkyrie launched herself at her fearlessly, and that scene made Bo feel warm, but it also gave her a strong pain in her chest.

 _No...don't come down for me, Tamsin...I don't want you to die. I want you to live_. She yelled internally, because she was no longer able to talk. Her throat was clenching hard, and she wasn't even sure if it was because Tamsin had come to rescue her from an impossible situation, or because she herself was dying.

As Tamsin got closer and closer, Bo clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying. For a moment there, all she could think about was that Tamsin was gonna die with her. She wanted to stop the Valkyrie from dying for her, but there was nothing she could do. They were both in the middle of the air, and they were falling down.

Bo reached her hand out, and Tamsin immediately grabbed it. She put her arms around Bo's body and held her tight to her chest.

For a second or two, the only thing they could hear was their hearts pounding desperately inside their chests. Then, a loud flutter occurred, before a sheen of light appeared in the thick darkness.

Both of them got suddenly pulled up. Then, they started to fall again, but not for long. They got pulled up again, and they rose a bit further, before they stopped.

Bo gaped at the pair of wings that had burst out from Tamsin's back. It took her quite a while to realize that somehow Tamsin got her wings out and saved both of them.

Letting out a teary smile at Tamsin, Bo choked in her our tears. She could feel nothing but joy dancing inside her. She felt so happy that Tamsin had finally gotten her wings back.

Tamsin managed to hold their position in the middle of the air, before she commanded Bo, "Feed." Her voice was shaking a little.

Bo immediately obliged. As she touched those soft, warm lips, her heart had stopped for a split second, before it started again and slammed against her chest like crazy. Tamsin's Chi calmed her down, and it took away all her fear too.

Their lips parted shortly after Bo had healed. Neither wanted to pull away but both knew that this was definitely not the moment for anything else. For a second or two, they just looked at each other in the eyes. They trembled. They smiled. They chuckled like two idiots with tears all over their faces.

"Your wings," Bo murmured as she gently caressed a row of feathers with the back of her fingers. "You didn't tell me that they are back, Tamsin. Why didn't you tell me?"

Tamsin gave her an awkward smile before she turned to take a look at her own wings. "I..." she stuttered. "I didn't know that they were back either until they…."

She was telling the truth. She had no idea they were back. She had thought that she had lost them forever, because ever since she had come back she had never seen them out once. She couldn't even use her power properly, and she thought that maybe she no longer had it.

She never thought she'd have her wings back like this. She never expected to make it back up there alive with Bo. When she saw Bo falling into the abyss and was drenched in blood, she did not think twice before she dashed over and jumped.

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 **A/N: someone asked about why Tamsin didn't use her power. I guess I should have elaborated more on that during earlier chapter where they were fighting the monsters. Basically she couldn't use her power properly, and it was like that ever since she came back from her death. It's a mix of her coming back from an impossible situation and also having a little PTSD. She was not confident enough about herself and she was feeling very vulnerable so she couldn't get control over her powers, but now I guess she has finally gotten her Valkyrie self back so her wings are back.**

 **This chapter is a hard-to-write. Too much conversation for my liking...but it's for the story, because Hades has to reveal his plan before they could figure out a way to stop him.**

 **There are probably two more chapters, at most three, for this fic. I might do a bonus chapter with some Valkubus fluff for all Valkubus shippers but that's about it. This is going to be the last Canonverse Lost Girl fic I'll ever write (probably). I'll continue my AU stories after this. I do have a few other AU ideas for Valkubus but I probably won't start writing until I finish at least one of the ongoing AUs.**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: had two very busy weeks. It's the end of the semester, so it's pretty much expected...anyway, finally an update!**

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Chapter 37

Bo put her arms around Tamsin's neck and hugged the Valkyrie tight. She could feel the cold sweat on her back, the cold sweat from realizing how close she had been to death, or rather, how close both of them had been to death.

She hung on to Tamsin as she forced herself to breathe. She was shivering, and her throat was clogging up. She had a million things in her chest, and they were screaming to get out.

There was the relief of being alive for sure. There was the gratitude of Tamsin risking her own life saving was some pure joy, as well as some fear.

The strongest among them all, however, was something that she could not put a name to. It pushed against her chest like a tireless tide. It made her fingers shake and her her heart flutter.

She looked at Tamsin's wings. They were so beautiful and she couldn't move her eyes away. There was a painful happiness inside her and it was squeezing her heart softly.

It wasn't about herself being alive or anything. It wasn't about herself at all. That happiness, it was solely about Tamsin. It was about Tamsin getting her wings back. It was about her getting her powers back.

Bo could see it in those light eyes. That fearless, strong Valkyrie she had once known was back in full force.

For a brief moment, she had forgotten about herself, or anything else. She had forgotten about the world ending, evil Hades, or the Tartarus shadows breaking out.

She had forgotten about everything but Tamsin. At this moment the Valkyrie's well-being outweighed herself and everything else.

For some reason Bo suddenly felt free and complete. She had never thought she'd find a small moment of peace like this, but she did. She had no idea why Tamsin getting her powers back would make herself feel that she was completed somehow, but that feeling rolled inside her, overwhelming everything.

Tamsin's Chi danced inside her body. It tickled her warmly and nervously, like a deep, deep secret surfacing joyfully. A secret she had been holding back for too long. A secret she had never thought was there. It was that ultimate question, as well as the answer to it. It was something, or perhaps the only thing, she had longed for.

Bo took a deep breath as she buried her face into the blonde's neck for a second. She inhaled Tamsin. She inhaled everything of Tamsin, that sweet scent, that warmth, her passion, her fears, her love for her, her vulnerability, and that incredibly bright soul that had been drawing her near in a way she struggled to fathom.

"I think we probably should go up now," Tamsin's voice interrupted her train of thoughts. Holding Bo firmly, she let her wings flap in the air softly.

"Yeah, we probably should," Bo agreed, nodding. Her nose brushed gently against Tamsin's collar bone.

She raised her head and looked into Tamsin's eyes. For a moment both of them were lost in the other person's eyes.

Both of them started to close the distance between them, and eventually their lips met. It was a brief, soft kiss, nothing more than a gentle peck, but it lit up both of them, granting them strength.

With her wings beating, Tamsin ascended towards the platform cautiously. The moment they landed on the platform, she put Bo down and shielded Bo behind her.

It was a mess up there. Kenzi was lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Neither Bo nor Tamsin could tell if she was still alive.

Dagny was fighting the beast form Zagreus. She had bloody tear wounds all over her, among which there were a few that seemed to have been caused by sharp fangs. Her skin looked even paler in contrast to the blood that stained her.

Zagreus wasn't any better either. He had several crimson burns on him. Two were along the width of his stomach, and the deeper one almost looked black inside. He got a few burn on his arms and one on his cheek. Whenever he moved, some of the burns would shimmer and he would growl like they were hurting him.

Casually standing beside the patterned rock which had turned red for absorbing Melinoe's blood, Hades was watching those two fighting against each other intently as if he was enjoying a play in the theater. He seemed to have completely ignored Melinoe's dead body that was right under his feet.

When he heard Bo and Tamsin, he turned to them with one of his eyebrows raised. He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Well, well, well," he drawled as he eyed Bo and Tamsin. "Look who's back."

After giving them a wicked smile, he continued, "I guess I was right. Both of you are just so damn stubborn."

Bo shot him a furious stare, before she rushed to Kenzi with Tamsin. They were both relieved when they found out that Kenzi was still alive. She just passed out and wouldn't respond to them no matter how hard they shook her.

Bo and Tamsin nodded at each other, before they quickly moved Kenzi to the side. They tried to help Dagny afterwards, but got stopped by Hades.

Hades forced them back with his bident. "Let's not disturb the fight, okay?" He said softly, "because I really want to know which one of them is stronger."

"You fucking-" Bo yelled at him as her rage burnt crazily inside her. She stopped abruptly, though, when she noticed that other than the stone right beside Hades, there was a second rock that had turned red.

It didn't take her too long to realize that the blood she had spilled for being stabbed by Hades had completely disappeared. There wasn't a single drop of it anywhere on the ground. She figured that the second stone had absorbed her blood just like the first did to Melinoe's blood.

Confused and panicking, she turned to wanted to ask the Valkyrie how this could have happened. She thought Hades had to kill her to get that stone to glow, but she wasn't dead and it was glowing right now.

Before she had asked that question, a loud, painful cry from Dagny stopped her.

Zagreus seemed to have finally gotten close enough to Dagny. With a loud growl he grabbed her and slammed her into the ground. He slashed his claws at her stomach before anyone could stop him.

A gaping wound appeared in Dagny's stomach. Her blood gushed out. She let out a furious hiss as she squeezed her fingers around her weapon hard.

When Zagreus launched himself at her again, Dagny hit him with her blade and forced him back. She was immediately pulled back by Bo and Tamsin.

Bo quickly gave Dagny some Chi before it was too late. They were both choking when Zagreus ran towards them like a predatory animal in frenzy mode.

Dagny's blood red eyes flashed even brighter. Anger swirled in them. As she struggled to get up, Tamsin stepped forward and stood between her and Zagreus.

Tamsin stared at the enraged beast as that familiar rush exploded inside her. It was her Valkyrie power, something she thought she had lost forever. It felt so new, so strong, as if it had been reborn with her.

"Stop, you stupid animal," she commanded as she stared into zagreus' eyes. Layers of shadows covered her fair skin, turning her face into a skeleton.

Zagreus growled, and stopped momentarily. He put his hands over his head and shook his head violently. He tried to fight Tamsin's power, but it was something he had never experienced before. It overwhelmed his mind, giving him a sharp headache as well as a cloud of doubt.

"Your enemy isn't us, but him," Tamsin told him with a calm, indifferent voice as she turned to Hades briefly.

Zagreus staggered back and forth, before he hesitantly turned towards Hades. He growled again and dashed towards him.

Hades sighed and stopped him by simply holding his bident up and forced him to stay away. "Oh this is getting boring," he complained.

He reached his hand out and gripped one of Zagreus' arm. It immediately glowed bright blue. Zagreus let out a loud, and perhaps the most painful scream that anyone had ever heard as he trembled under Hades' control.

"Kill her," Hades commanded firmly. "Kill them all!"

Zagreus howled. His eyes glowed blue as he launched himself at the three women again. He slashed his claws at Tamsin. His attack was so fast and fierce, that Tamsin barely dodged it. His claws left a few long, deep wounds on the side of Tamsin's body.

Bo grabbed him before he could hurt Tamsin again. She choked him and started to take his Chi. She could feel him getting weaker in her grip, until a sudden, piercing pain hit her in the chest.

She cried out as she let go of Zagreus. One glance at her chest, she knew it was Hades manipulating that hand print with his power to make her suffer.

Zagreus hit her on the side of her waist, knocking her down. He went after Tamsin again, but Dagny stopped him.

The young girl rose into the air and stayed between him and the other two wounded women. She held her weapon with the blade pointing downwards. Crimson energy swirled around her blade, as if blood was dripping down from it.

Her eyes were bright, so bright that they looked like two lit up pools of boiling blood. Crimson energy radiated from her body like a patch of red fog.

She had her wings spreading like two pieces of shadows that were darker and more dangerous than any hell spawn. Now they beated furiously behind her. Her enraged feathers fluttered in the air flow, hissing.

She raised her weapon, dragging a long, red tail of energy in the air. She struck Zagreus with it when he came at her.

Dagny was beyond surprised, and even a little bit scared, that she could throw such a powerful strike. It gave Zagreus a blow so heavy that it threw him back and knocked him down before he could even react.

A strong rush seized Dagny immediately when she saw that deep cut she had made on Zagreus' chest. Other than his blood that was pouring out, there was a deep red, almost black, glow inside.

Dagny reached her empty hand out and closed her fingers slowly. As she was doing that, the dark red glow grew stronger. A stream of red energy rose from Zagreus' wound. Slowly it left his body while he was screaming in agony.

Zagreus struggled to stand up and fight but he couldn't stop that energy from leaving his body. The energy surrounded Dagny like a cloud of vaporized blood. She inhaled deeply, letting the cloud enter her body. As she was doing so, her eyes glowed brighter.

Zagreus eventually collapsed into his own blood. He stopped moving after some futile struggles. His blood, just like Melinoe's, got absorbed by a patterned stone.

The last stone had turned red too, after taking in the blood Dagny had shed. The four of them glowed together.

Bo swallowed hard as her heart thumped in fear. She knew something was about to happen, when she saw that look of excitement on Hades' face.

She reached for Tamsin's hand, and the Valkyrie immediately held them. Both of their hands were covered in cold sweat now, and they could feel each other's crazy heartbeat on the tip of their fingers.

A suddenly tremor came, like the ground had suddenly jolted under their feet. It almost threw them down. Then, they heard something coming from deep down.

It sounded like a hum, or a deep vibration that had come from the core of hell. Soon, everything started to hum and shake as if an earthquake happened.

Dagny pulled her wings hard to stay in the air, while Bo and Tamsin both tumbled on the ground. Hades, however, seemed to have not been affected by the quake at all. He stood there with that signature smile as he looked at them.

Behind him, from the bottom of the abyss, a vortex of darkness appeared.

At first, it was just a small, almost invisible swirl that spun softly in the air. As it rotated, it grew bigger by gathering all the darkness that came towards it.

The air became putrid, too heavy for anyone to breathe now. There was a pressure in the air, something that hammered against everyone's heart. They could hear vague growls and wails coming through the vortex, as if a million of torture souls were screaming behind it. That sound got louder, piercing into their ears like needles.

"Behold, kids. Here comes your ancestors," Hades said as he rested his bident over his shoulder lazily. "Well, the remaining part of them anyway. The darkest part."

With that, pieces of thick, shapeless shadows started to escape from the vortex. At first there were only a couple of them, squeezing through the center of the swirling darkness. They shuddered, twitched and struggled, like they were using every bit of strength they had left to get out from whatever that was that bounded them inside.

As more and more of them escaped, though, they became strong and they moved faster. Some of them disappeared the moment when they got out while other hovered above the women restlessly.

At one point Bo thought for sure they'd attack them, and she had no idea how they could fight back when being attacked by some shadows, but the shadows quickly left the place they were at and dashed towards the exit.

They brought a strong gust as they moved across the air. It looked as if there was a torrent of darkness above the three women's heads.

Bo turned to Hades with both anger and fear. "You have to stop it," she bit out. "You can not let them out like this! People are gonna die!"

"Oh, yes I can, and hey, I am doing it right now," Hades said while shrugging at her. "And you, my dear, probably should worry about yourself first. You think I'd let any of you walk away twice?"

With that he leaped while raising his weapon. He struck down at them with his bident. Dagny shielded Bo and Tamsin and blocked Hades' attack with her own weapon.

The crimson and the blue clashed, causing a powerful stir while pushing everyone back forcefully.

"Hmm...not bad," Hades commented as he adjusted his tie with his left hand while brandishing his bident with his right. His voice sounded casual, but the look in his eyes were beyond serious. There was even a hint of caution and fear in them.

Dagny sneered and shot up into the air before she dived down at Hades. She waved her weapon in the air and thrust it at Hades.

Bo and Tamsin wanted to help, but they couldn't get close enough because the strong clash of the power of the other two kept pushing them back.

"I don't...I don't understand," Bo murmured as she looked at the vortex. It had grown so big now, that she feared that it would eventually devour everything. "I thought he had to kill all four of us to open the hellgate."

"Maybe the only thing the gate needs is your blood," Tamsin pointed out the obvious.

"Then why did he try to kill us? I mean, I get that he wants to kill me, and maybe Daggs too, but why did he kill Melinoe? Why did he watch Zagreus die? I thought they were so damn loyal to him. He didn't have to kill them, right?" Bo said as she glanced at the two dead bodies not far away from her.

She then turned to Hades and Dagny, who were in a fight so intense that she and Tamsin could barely keep up. "Shouldn't he be like enjoying his moment of victory now? Why does it look like he has to kill us right here right now?"

Tamsin vigilantly watched Dagny and Hades as she pondered Bo's question. She knew that none of them were Hades' favorite. He had wanted to kill them all alone. But, Bo was right. There was something else to it, something other than him hating them. Somehow she was certain that the death of them fit into his plan too.

"You know, when I got here with him before you showed up, I confronted him," Bo said to Tamsin while monitoring all the Tartarus shadows. "I said that he kills for a reason, and he basically admitted that."

"Yeah..." Tamsin murmured, frowning. She knew this probably wasn't the best time for her and Bo to solve a mystery, but she had a feeling that the answer to their question was very important. "Yeah, he kills for a reason…."

She trailed off as she looked at Dagny, who now was shrouded in crimson energy. Then, she turned to the two dead bodies, before her eyes finally stopped on Bo's face.

"Yeah...he definitely kills for a reason," she murmured as she looked into Bo's eyes. "The reason is that...he doesn't want to be locked up like his father."

"What do you mean?" Bo asked, a bit confused since most of her attention was drawn to the fight.

"Remember that he said soon he'd be the only one who could close this damn gate?" Tamsin said. "I think he said that because he was planning to kill all of us, and some of us are actually able to close the gate."

"Who?" Bo frowned at her.

"You," Tamsin said, "and Dagny, and of course those two as well if they were still alive."

Bo paused as she looked at the two dead bodies again. "H-how…?"

"Hell, I have no idea, Bo, but the gate...didn't that bastard say that the gate would respond to the hate between parents and children or whatever? Didn't he say that they locked up their own father with it? I think he wants to kill you because you are the only ones who are able to lock him up. If he kills all four of you, he'd be truly free because there would be no one who could put him behind it. He-"

A loud cry interrupted their conversation. Tamsin barely managed to catch Dagny with her arms when the young girl got thrown into the air by Hades' strike.

Dagny hissed, anger burning her eyes. She raised her weapon again as she stared back at him.

Her hand print glowed under her torn t-shirt. She clenched her teeth as she fought that pain. She hid all her fears behind her tough, furious look, but only she herself knew how shaky her hands were. Her legs were about to give out, and her wings had become weak too. She wasn't sure if she could stand up straight and face him for another round.

"Oh please, like you can really kill me," Hades taunted. "You are not gonna kill me, kiddo. You can barely use your power properly. I mean, if you were a pure blood Ancient, you might stand a chance after years of training, but you are not a pure blood. Blame your mother if you will. Look how long it took for her to finally get her power back, and how weak her powers are. It barely tickles me."

He looked at Tamsin condescendingly as a sneer left his nose. He looked at her as if she didn't even deserve his attention.

His attitude hurt Dagny more than it did to anyone else. It reminded her all the horrible things that he had done to Tamsin. She remember when he first showed up at their place, it almost broke her mother. She hated him. She loathed him. To her he was the absolutely worst existence. She just wanted him to disappear. She wanted him to get out of her life, and of course Tamsin's life, for good.

She bit back her tears of rage and pulled herself up. Anger burnt inside her as she stared back at Hades. Her hands shook hard when she thought about how he might hurt Tamsin again.

She couldn't do anything for her mother before, but she could now. The urge of wanting to protect Tamsin from him gave her strength. It ravished inside her along with her power.

She had never felt anything as strong as this. And with that power exploding inside her body, she raised her blade, pointing its tip up.

With both of her hands, she held the end of the hilt and waved it at Hades. Hades snorted and raised his bident to block her attack, but when her weapon hit his, that arrogant smile on his face disappeared.

He clenched his teeth as he held his bident firmly attempting to force her back, but Dagny's attack seemed to be unbelievably strong, and instead it forced him back.

The pressure from Dagny's power hit his chest, stopping him from breathing. He bit out a loud grunt and fell back. He let Dagny push her weapon further towards him, and then he flung his bident upwards thinking he'd jerk her away like he had done before. But, this time he failed. He lost his balance for throwing his arm too hard and stumbled back. The next thing he knew was Dagny pushing her blade into his chest.

The searing pain came. It was something Hades wasn't familiar with at all. He had not felt this kind of pain for a long, long time.

He looked down at the blade lodged in his chest as he staggered further back. Dagny's blade left his body and left a deep wound there. It looked like a crimson burn, only that a few inches of his flesh underneath seemed to have been completely melted into a mixture of red and black.

He hissed furiously and slashed his bident at Dagny, but his arm fell abruptly when Dagny started to pull the crimson energy out from his body.

It was a bit different than what happened to Zagreus. This time the stream of energy spurted out and shot right back at her. She inhaled it, and was empowered by it.

Dagny pulled her lips into an evil smile as she let out a deep breath. She had takned in so much energy that even her pale skin had a tint of red.

Hades growled in great frustration, fear and anger. He stopped himself from panting as he raised his empty hand. He tried to call his power and hurt Dagny through that hand print, but all he got was a faint blue glow ground his fingers.

"This is...not possible..." he squeezed those word out and stumbled back further. After he had taken a few steps, that short spear, Zeus' lightning, fell off his belt.

The sound of it hitting the ground served him as a lovely reminder. He quickly reached for it, for he knew that it might be the single most powerful thing here right now. But, before he could grab it, Bo dashed out and got hold of it before him.

The Succubus cried out in pain the moment her fingers touched the spear. Her body was seized by a strong shock. It was as if every cell of hers was being scorched by some intense heat. The pain was so overwhelming that her tears started to burst out.

It was then she remembered the things that librarian told her and Tamsin. He had said that neither of them could wield Zeus' lightning because it would burn their souls into ashes.

Bo clenched her teeth as she hold on to it, just so Hades couldn't use it against Dagny, or anyone else. However, her body was out of her control. Her muscles started to spasm and her fingers loosened against her will.

The spear fell into the ground again, tumbling back and forth between two slightly elevated places.

Hades punched Bo hard and pushed her away before she could grab it again. Then, he choked Tamsin and flung her aside when the Valkyrie tried to pick up the spear.

He let out a few deep, rapid gasps and reached for the spear again. Before he could hold it tight enough, Dagny grabbed the other end of it and yanked it away from him violently.

The young girl clasped her fingers tightly around the spear and hit Hades in his chin with the handle of her weapon. Then, when the unbearable force shocked her, she let out a loud scream.

It felt like a strong burn in her hand, like she was holding a burning coal or a piece of almost melting metal. But, at the same time, it felt like a cold rush too. It froze her to her bones.

She fought it with her own power, forcing a crimson cloud around the spear.

The spear vibrated in her hand, as if it was responding her power in excitement. It slowly changed into a bolt of lightning, something too bright for her or anyone to look at.

She cried out again for she thought she was being electrocuted. A strong current ran through her body and exploded inside her. She wasn't even sure if it was killing her or energizing her.

She saw a vague image of Hades standing in front of her reaching for the lightning, and she used every bit of her strength to swing the lightning bolt at his chest.

She heard a loud bang and a series of noisy sizzles. It rang in her ears, making her feel dizzy.

She knew she had hit him, though, since it was the first time she had heard Hades yowl.

Her senses was being forced out of her by the lightning, but when she saw him reaching for the spear again, she swung it at him and hit him again.

Then, she had to let go of it before it burnt her hands off her arms. The lightning fell down, and turned back into a short spear before it even hit the ground. It lay it quietly.

Dagny panted hard as she fisted her fingers. She feared that if she didn't fist them hard enough they'd fall off because she could barely feel them.

In front of her, stood a stunned Hades. Other than the crimson burn in his chest, he got a long, messy mark across his body. It looked as if a part of him had been charred. Crimson energy seeped through that mark, and entered Dagny's body.

Hades looked down at the mark, before he looked at Dagny. He seemed to still have a hard time believing that Dagny was able to hit him with the lightning.

He fell back weakly, forgetting how close he was to the edge of the platform. As one of his foot step out of the platform, he jolted in fear. He tried to pull himself forward but he tripped.

"No!" He yelled as he fell off the platform. But, instead of falling down, he got sucked into the vortex.

The three women looked at the vortex with their breath held and their eyes wide open. Eventually they all let out a deep breath and looked at each other.

"Did I…?" Dagny murmured hesitantly. "Did I really hit him with the lightning?"

"Yeah, you did," Tamsin told her.

Dagny nodded, but was too stunned to say anything else.

"We...we need to close this damn thing," Bo suggested as she watched more and more shadows escape.

"How?" Dagny asked with a low voice as she fought the remaining power of the lightning.

"Maybe one of you need to slit his throat and spill his blood over those stones or something," Tamsin said as she looked at the four red stones.

Bo swallowed hard as she looked around wondering if there would be any clue of how to close the gate, though after a second or two her attention was drawn to a sudden screech coming from the vortex.

Turning to take glance at it, she was shocked to see a human shaped shadow clawing its way out from the vortex.

It looked like a charred Hades. He no longer had his nice suit, or that sly smile, or anything of him really. There were two glowing spots on his face, and Bo assumed that those were his eyes, or what was left of them. They looked as vicious as they could ever be.

A twitching hole appeared on that face, as a deep and malicious voice came out from that hole.

"The throne should have been mine!" The charred Hades yelled with great rage. He came at them, jumping, limping, crawling, and scrambling. He looked like the worst nightmare anyone could ever have.

"It's mine! Everything should have been mine!" He announced as he launched himself at Dagny.

Dagny struck him with her weapon, but it went through him like going through the air. It hit nothing. It was as if his physical form no longer existed.

The charred Hades laughed. His voice bounced back and forth between the walls. It sounded like Tartarus itself was laughing at the three women.

Then, he turned to the spear and made his way towards it like some sort of hungry beast. "This is mine! Mine!"

He picked up the spear before anyone could stop him, but as he held it, the spear slowly slipped out from his grip like falling through a thick, dark fog.

He tried again, and again, but he was no longer able to hold it, not to mention to use it. He growled furiously as he started to smash anything and everything that was in his way. At one point he even managed to get out a long piece of shadow which looked exactly like his bident.

He eventually decided to take out his anger on Bo and Tamsin. He attacked them, strangling them in his shadow form. He couldn't really grab them but his existence was like a toxic fume. As he got close enough to them, they started to choke.

"Leave them alone and die!" Dagny bit out as she picked up the spear again. She hurled the lightning at him and it pierced through him like a dart.

A part of him disappeared, like the shadow form of his got dispersed by the lightning. He wailed loudly, letting go of Tamsin and Bo before coming at Dagny.

Dagny slammed him back with the spear. She clenched her teeth and bit her bottom lip as she swung the lightning at him over and over.

She couldn't feel her fingers. She couldn't even feel her arms. She could barely see, or hear, or even think. She wondered how long it would take before the spear would burn her into ashes. She just kept hitting him, until she forced the rest of him to the edge of the platform..

"I guess you weren't wrong when you bitched about that curse. Karma is a bitch, and go to hell, dad," Dagny bit those words out one by one as she flung her arms out and tossed the lightning at him.

It cut him into half. The two pieces of charred Hades, or the shadow Hades, got pushed off the platform again. The vortex sucked him in, but his loud, shriek cry of fear came to the three women.

"It should have been me! It should have been me! The throne...there shall be no God but me…."

His voice got weaker and weaker until it finally stopped. The three women waited nervously and cautiously as they wondered if he'd come back again in a much nastier form.

He never came out, and after having stared at the vortex long enough they noticed something else.

The swirl of darkness had slowed down. After a while, shadows stopped coming out from it. It eventually stopped spinning and faded into the air.

The slight tremor they had felt had stopped, and the red stones had turned pale again. It was as if nothing had happened.

"Is it...closed?" Bo murmured as she stood there looking at the dark abyss.

"Well...I guess...since it's gone," Tamsin said hesitantly. "I don't think any more shadows are coming out either."

It was then that Dagny had finally let that painful cry out. She collapsed, panting hard. She looked at her own hands, shocked to see that both of her arms were beyond pale, but at the same time, they looked very much burnt.

"You okay?" Tamsin grabbed her shoulder and held her in her arms. She looked at Dagny, worried.

Dagny gave her a nod. "It's just a...mosquito bite."

"Ugh huh," Tamsin rolled her eyes as she carefully touched Dagny's skin. It felt more than normal, and that gave her some relief.

A moment of silence came to them, and the three of them looked at each other while deciding if they should hug each other and cry or cheer in joy now. Before they had made a decision, Kenzi woke up in a loud gasp.

"Holy mother of Russian what happened?!" Kenzi exclaimed as she looked around. When she saw the dirt, blood and the torn clothes on the other three women, she asked, "y'all okay?"

After getting a nod from all of them, she let out a deep breath and lay there like a wet dog. "I'm never gonna step into this hellhole ever again."

Bo chuckled and stroke her hair. "What happened to you?"

"Do I look like I know, missy?" Kenzi grunted. "Something hit me hard…I think."

Bo couldn't help but chuckle again. The feeling of relief and joy had finally hit her and it made her dizzy.

"Didn't that a-hole say that some freaking palm reader told him that he'd open the hellgate and rule the world? I guess the palm reader sucked balls," Kenzi murmured.

"No," Bo corrected her. "He only said that she told him that he'd open the gate. He didn't brag anything about her saying anything about ruling the world at all. I guess she didn't tell him that. I guess maybe...maybe the oracle only saw him opening the hellgate because that was the last thing she could see in his life."

"The last thing of him, maybe," Tamsin said with her eyebrows furrowed, "but don't forget we have like a million of angry shadow fuckers to deal with now."

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to figure out a way to haul those Tartarus asses back and lock him behind the gate again," Bo said.

Tamsin nodded. And then, her eyes met Bo's. Neither of them could stop smiling, and both had tears welling up in their eyes. They started to giggle at each other while trying to brush the dirt off the other person's face.

As their hands gently moved across the other person's cheek, they both inhaled painfully and inched forward.

Their lips finally met after the forever hesitation. They kissed each other breathlessly, with giggles, tears and two fluttering hearts

"Oh, go get a room, you two," Kenzi complained with an eye roll and threw her hand out.

 **\- A Year Later -**

Kenzi was helping Dagny wiping off the orange juice the young girl had just spilled when someone stormed into the Dal like a bullet.

It was a short man with a big beard. He rushed to the counter. After stopping beside a bar stool that was an inch taller than him, he took out a small horn and blew it hard.

A loud, unpleasant sound burst out. It caught everyone's attention. When he saw that everyone was looking at him, he shouted, "is there someone name Kenzi? Do I have a Kenzi here? Is there a Kenzi here?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, I am Kenzi. Kenzi is moi," Kenzi replied as she raised her hand. "Do I know you, sir?"

"I certainly hope not," the man mumbled, "but I have a mail for you."

With that he took off his backpack and pulled out a roll of tattered paper that was bound together with a leather. The thread looked just as tattered as the paper.

He tossed the roll at Kenzi carelessly, and the petite woman almost fell off her stool while trying to catch it.

"This is a mail, for...for me?" Kenzi frowned at the roll of paper in her hand.

"You are Kenzi, aren't ya?" The man asked her impatiently.

"Yeah, I am."

"Then yeah, it's for you. Now spit," he told her as he took a step forward towards her.

"What?" Kenzi raised her eyebrows.

"Spit," the man drawled.

"S-spit?" Kenzi frowned hard.

"Oh come on, young lady. I have lots of mails to deliver and lots of places to go. Let's just get this done, okay?" The man demanded.

"Ummm...get what done again?" Kenzi was beyond confused.

Dyson, who stood behind the counter watching Kenzi and the short guy the whole time, could no longer hold his amused laugh. "He's a..." he tried to explain to Kenzi what type of Fae the guy was but gave up quickly since he couldn't remember the exact name. "You need to spit in his face. It's like a payment as well as your signature. Proof of delivery, something like that."

Kenzi grimaced. She had to close her eyes when she spat into the man's face. The guy grumbled and mumbled, before he left in a hurry.

"Is it really a letter?" Dagny asked curiously as she stared at the roll of papers.

"Ummm…I don't know...why don't we-" Kenzi murmured as she pulled the thread off. She unrolled the stack of paper, and then she frowned when she saw Bo's name as the sender. "Hey, it's from Bo."

"What? Really? This is from Bo? She wrote us a letter? Like...a real letter letter?" Dagny exclaimed. "What she lost her phone and can't video chat with us either or something?"

"Hey, technically neither your Mama or Bo-Bo has contacted us in a while, so I am kinda relieved that she actually took time and wrote me something," Kenzi murmured.

Reading through the letter, she explained, "well it looks like Bo-Bo and Tam-Tam are in some Fae tribe and those tribe people loath modern tech. I guess that was why she wrote us instead of calling us…."

"What else did she say? I mean, are they okay? Are they coming home soon?"

"Not anytime soon, I'm afraid," Kenzi read the letter carefully, "but they are still breathing and in one piece. They have managed to lock up some of the Tartarus shadows and are searching for the rest."

She read a few more lines, and announced, "your Mama said if you do well in school they'll let you join them this summer. Quote unquote, this summer and this summer only."

"Really?!" Dagny cheered. After getting a nod from Kenzi, she couldn't help but cheered. She bounced around like a happy bubble, before she ran to Mark to tell him the good news.

Kenzi shook her head in a smile as she continued reading the letter.

"Kenz, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's basically monsters and near death experience everyday for us, but I guess with Tamsin beside me, I no longer fear anything.

"About that question you've asked me, Kenzi, I think I'm finally able to give you an answer. I figured it out a long time ago, actually, when we were in Tartarus. When I fell into the abyss after being stabbed by Hades, Tamsin jumped down for me. I guess she wasn't really trying to save me, but rather ready to die with me. Then, her wings came out. You know, when I saw her wings, I felt so happy, like really, really happy, but it wasn't because we were saved or anything. I just felt happy, for her, but not just as a friend or anything like that. I can't really explain, but when I saw her wings, I felt like suddenly I found the things that I've been looking for. I have never felt anything like that before. No one has ever made me feel that way before. I don't think I'd ever have anyone else like her in my life. I couldn't have asked for anyone better, and I hate myself for not realizing this sooner. To answer your question, she's everything to me, Kenzi. Tamsin is everything to me.

"I know I still have a lot of things to figure out, and I want to figure those things out with Tamsin. We are taking things slow and enjoying every minute of us being together. I feel that as long as we are together, we can do anything and everything. Anyway, talk to you later, and hopefully we'll soon be able to use our phones again. Love ya. xoxo."

Kenzi couldn't stop herself from smiling after she finished the letter. Then she covered her forehead and sighed when she saw Dagny bumped into someone and knocked a table over.

"Oh boy...here we go again," she murmured and rushed over to help with a heart full of joy and peace.

 **[THE END]**

* * *

 **A/N: Whoa, the last chapter! I thought I'd never finish this story! This is a hard to write one, and I've felt brain drained many time when I wrote it.**

 **I know it's not a perfect ending. They didn't get married or anything like that, but I think it's best to end this story here. I think they'll be okay from now on.**

 **I won't be doing any more Canon-verse Valkubus stories, because the Canon-verse is too fucked up to put them in. I'll be writing my other stories.**

 **Thanks for everyone who have read, liked and reviewed this story! Long live Valkubus!**


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